Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40
रुद्रस्त्रिशूलमुद्यम्य भैरवो ह्यऽभवत्तदा । निवारितो गिरिजया वधात्तस्माच्छिवः स्वयम् । भिक्षां तस्मै ददौ वाचा अग्नये जातवेदसे
rudrastriśūlamudyamya bhairavo hya'bhavattadā | nivārito girijayā vadhāttasmācchivaḥ svayam | bhikṣāṃ tasmai dadau vācā agnaye jātavedase
Rudra erhob seinen Dreizack und wurde in jenem Augenblick zu Bhairava. Doch Girijā hielt Śiva vom Schlag zurück. Da gewährte Śiva selbst, durch sein heiliges Wort, die Almosengabe dem Agni, Jātavedas, dem Allwissenden.
Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (narration to the sages, per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)
Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (Bhairava/Devī mediation motif)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Rudra raises the trident and becomes Bhairava; Girijā steps in, restraining him. Śiva then grants alms to Agni—by a mere utterance—transforming wrath into grace.
FAQs
Divine power is tempered by compassion: even fierce wrath (Bhairava) is restrained for dharmic resolution.
The Kedārakhaṇḍa context frames the episode within Kedāra’s sacred Śaiva milieu.
Bhikṣā/dāna is central; the verse highlights that a gift may be sanctioned even ‘by word’ (vācā) as divine authorization.