Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39
देवा ऊचुः । तव लिंगस्य संस्पर्शादपि पापकृतो नराः । स्वर्गं यास्यंति देवेश नाशं यास्यति किल्बिषम् । व्रतदानानि सर्वाणि तीर्थयात्रायुतानि च
devā ūcuḥ | tava liṃgasya saṃsparśādapi pāpakṛto narāḥ | svargaṃ yāsyaṃti deveśa nāśaṃ yāsyati kilbiṣam | vratadānāni sarvāṇi tīrthayātrāyutāni ca
দেবগণ বললেন— ‘হে দেবেশ! আপনার লিঙ্গের কেবল স্পর্শমাত্রেই পাপকর্মী মানুষ স্বর্গে গমন করবে এবং তার কলুষ নষ্ট হবে। অতএব সকল ব্রত-দান ও অগণিত তীর্থযাত্রা যেন এতে নিহিত।’
The Devas (gods)
Tirtha: Śiva-liṅga of Arbuda-kṣetra (unnamed in verse)
Type: temple
Scene: Devas in reverent assembly speak to Śiva, gesturing toward a radiant liṅga; the liṅga emits a soft glow suggesting immediate purification; symbolic streams of light represent pāpa-kṣaya and ascent to svarga.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace is supremely purifying: even minimal contact with the sacred liṅga is said to burn away sin and uplift the soul.
The mahātmya centers on the liṅga in the Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa), presenting it as a pilgrimage-equivalent locus of merit.
Liṅga-saṃsparśa (reverent touch) is highlighted; the verse also references vrata (vows), dāna (charity), and tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) as related merit-paths.