Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73
सर्वे शृणुत भद्रं वो राजानो ये च देहिनः । शिवपूजामृते नान्या गतिरस्ति शरीरिणाम
sarve śṛṇuta bhadraṃ vo rājāno ye ca dehinaḥ | śivapūjāmṛte nānyā gatirasti śarīriṇāma
اسمعوا كلكم—ليكن لكم الخير—يا أيها الملوك وكل ذوي الأجساد: ما عدا عبادة شيفا، فلا ملجأ حقّ ولا سبيل لمن يحمل جسدًا.
Hanūmān
Listener: rājānaḥ (kings) and all embodied beings (general audience)
Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses assembled kings and beings, raising a hand in instruction; behind, a serene Śiva-liṅga with bilva leaves symbolizes the sole refuge.
FAQs
Śiva-pūjā is proclaimed as the foremost spiritual refuge and the decisive path for embodied beings.
The verse is doctrinal rather than geographic; the chapter’s frame glorifies Pradoṣa worship associated with Maṇḍavā-saras.
Śiva-pūjā (worship of Śiva) as the essential practice for spiritual welfare and ultimate good.