Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51
को वेद भस्मसामर्थ्यं महादेवा दृते परः । दुर्विभाव्यं यथा शंभोर्माहात्म्यं भस्मनस्तथा
ko veda bhasmasāmarthyaṃ mahādevā dṛte paraḥ | durvibhāvyaṃ yathā śaṃbhormāhātmyaṃ bhasmanastathā
Who, other than Mahādeva, can truly know the power of bhasma? Just as Śambhu’s greatness is beyond full comprehension, so too is the greatness of the sacred ash.
Vāmadeva
Tirtha: Bhasma (Vibhūti)
Type: kshetra
Listener: The seeker/questioner
Scene: A contemplative moment: the sage speaks of the unknowable magnitude of Śiva and bhasma; the composition emphasizes stillness—minimal gestures, deep gaze, and a quiet aura around the ash marks.
FAQs
Certain sacred realities—Śiva’s nature and the sanctity of bhasma—surpass ordinary cognition and are known fully only to the Divine.
No tīrtha is named; the verse is a theological praise of Śiva and bhasma.
None explicitly; the verse functions as stuti (praise) establishing bhasma’s exalted status.