Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
तपस्यतस्तस्य मुनेः पुरोदृग्गोचरं गता । शुचिरप्सरसां श्रेष्ठा रूपलावण्यशालिनी
tapasyatastasya muneḥ purodṛggocaraṃ gatā | śucirapsarasāṃ śreṣṭhā rūpalāvaṇyaśālinī
Khi vị hiền triết đang chuyên tâm khổ hạnh, trước tầm mắt ngài hiện đến Śuci—bậc tối thượng trong các apsara—rực rỡ bởi sắc đẹp và vẻ duyên dáng.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame; not stated in verse)
Scene: A forest-hermitage near Kāśī: a sage seated in deep meditation, matted locks and deer-skin, while the radiant apsaras Śuci appears at the edge of his vision, luminous ornaments and flowing garments contrasting the austere setting.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma often frames tapas as tested by allure; steadfastness in austerity is shown as a spiritual ideal.
The verse is part of the Pañcanada origin narrative, setting the scene that will explain the tīrtha’s emergence and greatness.
No explicit rite; it describes the context of tapas (austerity) that underlies tīrtha sanctity.