Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 72
ग्रीष्मे पंचाग्निमध्यस्थो ह्यतपत्स महातपाः । वार्षिके च निरालम्बो हेमन्ते च सरोवरे
grīṣme paṃcāgnimadhyastho hyatapatsa mahātapāḥ | vārṣike ca nirālambo hemante ca sarovare
گرمیوں میں وہ مہاتپسی پانچ آگوں کے بیچ کھڑا ہو کر تپسیا کرتا۔ برسات میں وہ بے سہارا (بلا تکیہ) رہتا، اور جاڑے میں جھیل کے پانی میں ٹھہرتا۔
Agastya
Tirtha: Ayodhyā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Triptych-like depiction of the same ascetic across seasons: (1) summer—standing amid four fires with the sun overhead (pañcāgni), (2) monsoon—upright without support in driving rain, (3) winter—immersed in a lotus-filled lake, breath steady.
FAQs
Steadfastness across hardship is celebrated as tapas: endurance becomes an offering that intensifies spiritual attainment in a holy kṣetra.
The austerities are part of the Ayodhyāmāhātmya narrative, implying Ayodhyā as a powerful setting for intense sādhana.
Forms of tapas are described: pañcāgni in summer, unsupported discipline in the rains, and remaining in water during winter.