Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
ऋषय ऊचुः । प्रभूतनियमैर्होमैर्व्रतस्नानैश्च नित्यशः । उपवासैश्च निर्विण्णा वयं सर्वे पितामह
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | prabhūtaniyamairhomairvratasnānaiśca nityaśaḥ | upavāsaiśca nirviṇṇā vayaṃ sarve pitāmaha
Các ṛṣi thưa rằng: “Bạch Đấng Tổ Phụ (Pitāmaha), chúng con đều đã mỏi mệt vì bao điều chế ngự, vì các lễ tế lửa (homa) hằng ngày, vì các giới nguyện, tắm gội nghi lễ, và những kỳ trai giới.”
Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)
Tirtha: Acaleśvara/Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
Scene: A circle of sages, visibly austere and worn from prolonged observances, speak candidly to Brahmā, palms joined, seeking relief through true counsel.
FAQs
External austerities alone can become exhausting; the sages seek a more accessible, grace-filled means to spiritual progress.
The verse is set within Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda region); the specific sanctified spot is introduced shortly after as Brahmā’s “mahāpada.”
Niyama (disciplines), homa (oblations), vrata (vows), snāna (ritual bathing), and upavāsa (fasting) are referenced as regularly performed austerities.