Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6
वायुभक्षः शतं साग्रं यावत्तेपे हुताशनः । तावत्तुष्टो महादेवो वरदो जातवेदसः । संनिधौ समुपेत्याथ वचनं चेदमब्रवीत्
vāyubhakṣaḥ śataṃ sāgraṃ yāvattepe hutāśanaḥ | tāvattuṣṭo mahādevo varado jātavedasaḥ | saṃnidhau samupetyātha vacanaṃ cedamabravīt
Chỉ lấy gió làm thực phẩm, Hुतāśana (Agni) đã hành khổ hạnh trọn một trăm năm và hơn nữa. Bấy giờ Mahādeva hoan hỷ, sẵn lòng ban ân huệ cho Jātavedas, đến trước mặt và phán những lời này.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha
Type: kshetra
Scene: Agni stands or sits emaciated yet luminous, sustained only by air for over a hundred years; then Mahādeva manifests nearby—majestic, calm, boon-bestowing—approaching into close presence (sannidhi).
FAQs
Sustained tapas, grounded in restraint, culminates in divine grace—Śiva responds as the compassionate giver of boons.
The austerity narrative is situated in the Revā-khaṇḍa setting and functions as the lead-in to Piṅgalāvarta/Piṅgaleśvara’s sanctification.
Tapas with severe restraint (vāyu-bhakṣa—subsisting on air) is described as Agni’s discipline.