Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
अथवा किमिदं चित्रं शर्वभक्तजनेष्वहो । आविर्भवेत्स्वयं रुद्रो यतोरुद्रास्तदर्चकाः
athavā kimidaṃ citraṃ śarvabhaktajaneṣvaho | āvirbhavetsvayaṃ rudro yatorudrāstadarcakāḥ
Or what wonder is this, indeed, among the devotees of Śarva? Rudra himself appears in person—for those who worship him are, by their devotion, as it were Rudras.
Skanda (narrating; sentiment voiced by devotees/attendants—contextual)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A circle of Śarva’s devotees in Kāśī, their faces lit by Śiva’s sudden appearance; subtle visual metaphor: each devotee bears a faint Rudra-like aura, suggesting ‘they are Rudras’ through devotion.
FAQs
Śiva’s devotees are transformed by devotion; divine manifestation is presented as natural where sincere Śarva-bhakti flourishes.
Kāśī is the implied sacred setting via the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, emphasizing Śiva’s accessibility to devotees there.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse stresses arcana (worship) and the spiritual identity it bestows.