Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 9
तारकवधोत्तरं देवस्तुतिः पर्वतवरप्रदानं च / Devas’ Hymn after Tāraka’s Slaying and the Bestowal of Boons upon the Mountains
स्कन्द उवाच । यूयं सर्वे पर्वता हि पूजनीयास्तपस्विभिः । कर्मिभिर्ज्ञानिभिश्चैव सेव्यमाना भविष्यथ
skanda uvāca | yūyaṃ sarve parvatā hi pūjanīyāstapasvibhiḥ | karmibhirjñānibhiścaiva sevyamānā bhaviṣyatha
Skanda sprach: „Ihr alle, o Berge, werdet wahrlich von Asketen verehrungswürdig sein; und auch von Ritualvollziehern und von Kennern der geistigen Wahrheit werdet ihr geehrt und dienstbar aufgesucht werden.“
Skanda (Kārttikeya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Skanda’s boon turns mountains into objects of reverence for multiple sādhanā-modes (tapas, karma, jñāna). This anticipates later sthala-purāṇas where geography becomes a pedagogical field for liberation.
Significance: Affirms tīrtha as universally accessible: ascetics, ritualists, and jñānins all find a legitimate approach, reflecting Śaiva Siddhānta’s integration of caryā–kriyā–yoga–jñāna.
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse affirms that sacred geography—especially mountains associated with Shiva’s presence—becomes an object of reverence for all spiritual temperaments: tapas (discipline), karma (ritual duty), and jñāna (liberating insight). In Shaiva Siddhanta, such places support purification and devotion, helping the soul (paśu) loosen bonds (pāśa) through grace-oriented practice.
By declaring the mountains “worthy of worship,” Skanda implies that Shiva’s saguna manifestation is approachable through consecrated loci—shrines, liṅgas, and tīrthas situated in holy regions. Serving these places is effectively service to Shiva’s embodied presence and to the disciplines that lead toward realization of the Supreme Pati.
The practical takeaway is tīrtha-sevā and parvata-yātrā: pilgrimage with humility, worship (pūjā), and service (seva). A Shaiva practitioner may pair this with japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” along with traditional supports like vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, according to one’s capacity.