Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25
एवमुक्तो महादेवो देव्या वाक्यहिते रतः । कृत्वा कापालिकं रूपं ययौ दारुवनं प्रति
evamukto mahādevo devyā vākyahite rataḥ | kṛtvā kāpālikaṃ rūpaṃ yayau dāruvanaṃ prati
So angesprochen, nahm Mahādeva—darauf bedacht, die Worte der Göttin zu erfüllen—die Gestalt eines Kāpālika an und zog nach Dāruvana.
Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)
Tirtha: Dāruvana
Type: kshetra
Scene: Mahādeva transforms into a Kāpālika—matted hair, ash-smeared body, skull-bowl and staff—then strides toward the dense Dāruvana where ascetics dwell.
FAQs
Divine līlā often uses disguise to teach dharma—Śiva adopts an ascetic form to demonstrate a deeper moral point.
Dāruvana (the sacred forest) is introduced as the key locale for the ensuing episode.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse narrates Śiva’s assumption of the Kāpālika form and his journey.