Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 29
अथासौ त्वरितो दूरमन्विष्यन्परितो भ्रमन् । न लब्धवांश्चिताभस्म श्रांतो गृहमगात्पुनः
athāsau tvarito dūramanviṣyanparito bhraman | na labdhavāṃścitābhasma śrāṃto gṛhamagātpunaḥ
Da eilte er in die Ferne, suchte und irrte nach allen Seiten umher; doch da er die Asche des Scheiterhaufens nicht fand, kehrte er erschöpft wieder nach Hause zurück.
Narrator (contextual; not explicitly identified in the excerpt)
Scene: A Śabara devotee, dusty and tired, returns from a long search through scrub-forest paths and village outskirts, empty-handed, his face showing worry and exhaustion; evening light suggests time slipping away before worship.
FAQs
True devotion persists even when ritual requirements become difficult; the devotee strives to uphold worship with sincerity.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the devotional act and the need for bhasma in Śiva-pūjā.
The need for citābhasma (sacred ash) as a required item for Śiva worship is implied.