Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23
एवमुक्त्वा तु ताः सर्वा विश्वरूपो महेश्वरः । क्रीडनार्थं गतस्तत्र बटुवेषधरः पृथक्
evamuktvā tu tāḥ sarvā viśvarūpo maheśvaraḥ | krīḍanārthaṃ gatastatra baṭuveṣadharaḥ pṛthak
Nachdem er so zu ihnen allen gesprochen hatte, ging Maheśvara —von allumfassender Gestalt— getrennt dorthin, nahm die Verkleidung eines jungen Brahmacārin an, um des göttlichen Spiels willen.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice within Revā Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Bhāragrāma (līlā-sthala)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Maheśvara, described as Viśvarūpa, steps aside and re-enters as a lone young brahmacārin—simple clothes, staff, water-pot—yet with subtle cosmic hints (aura, faint third eye, serpentine ornament).
FAQs
The Divine may appear in humble forms to test sincerity; dharma is proved through conduct, not status.
The Revā/Narmadā sacred landscape, where Śiva’s līlā unfolds to teach dharma.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse frames a līlā that will evaluate hospitality and truthfulness.