Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32
गता गणाश्च सर्वत्र भूतप्रेता दिशो दश । विसंज्ञं च स्वमात्मानं ज्ञात्वा देवो महेश्वरः
gatā gaṇāśca sarvatra bhūtapretā diśo daśa | visaṃjñaṃ ca svamātmānaṃ jñātvā devo maheśvaraḥ
Als die Gaṇas sich überall zerstreut hatten und Scharen von Geistern und Verstorbenen die zehn Himmelsrichtungen erfüllten, erkannte der Herr Mahādeva, dass sein eigenes Wesen in Bewusstlosigkeit versunken war, und handelte danach.
Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (implied by subsequent 'rājan/nṛpa/mahārāja')
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A vast forest-kṣetra under a darkened sky; gaṇas dispersing in all directions while bhūtas and pretas stream through the ten quarters; Mahādeva stands momentarily still, sensing his own lapse into unconsciousness—an awe-filled pause before action.
FAQs
Even divine narratives depict crisis and recovery, pointing to Śiva’s lordship over beings of all realms and the unfolding of sacred purpose in a tīrtha’s story.
The broader context is Dharmāraṇya (the sacred forest) whose māhātmya is being narrated in this chapter.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the narrative scene for later tīrtha-phalā (merit descriptions).