Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 44
स्कन्दसरः (Skandasara) — तीर्थवर्णनम् / Description of the Skandasara Sacred Lake
अभक्ताय महेशस्य तथा धर्मध्वजाय च । एतच्छ्रुत्या ह्येकवारं भवेत्पापं हि भस्मसात्
abhaktāya maheśasya tathā dharmadhvajāya ca | etacchrutyā hyekavāraṃ bhavetpāpaṃ hi bhasmasāt
Selbst wer Maheśa nicht ergeben ist, ja selbst wer nur das Banner der Dharma trägt, dessen Sünde wird, wenn er dies nur einmal hört, wahrlich zu Asche verbrannt.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Highlights the purifying potency of Śiva-kathā/śravaṇa: even minimal contact (eka-vāra-śravaṇa) can burn pāpa, prefiguring pilgrimage logic where darśana/śravaṇa yields immediate merit.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches the Shaiva principle that Śiva’s grace works through śravaṇa (devout hearing): even a single sincere hearing of Śiva’s teaching/glory can burn accumulated pāpa like bhasma, preparing the soul (paśu) for purification and liberation.
Hearing Śiva’s mahimā is itself a form of worship and a gateway to Saguna devotion—often leading one toward Linga-upāsanā, mantra, and ritual life; the verse highlights that contact with Śiva-kathā can awaken bhakti even where it was absent.
Śravaṇa: regularly listen to Śiva Purāṇa recitation or Śiva-stotra/kathā; in practice this is commonly paired with daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple Śiva-pūjā to stabilize the purification gained through hearing.