Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 130
अज्ञासिष्म पुरैवैतद्रुद्रभक्तं न हंत्यसौ । यत्प्रतिज्ञां नाकरिष्यन्न स्यान्नः कदनं महत्
ajñāsiṣma puraivaitadrudrabhaktaṃ na haṃtyasau | yatpratijñāṃ nākariṣyanna syānnaḥ kadanaṃ mahat
We already knew this: he does not slay a devotee of Rudra. Had he not made that vow, there would not have been this great devastation for us.
Viṣṇu (Hari) speaking to the Devas
Scene: Gods, battered by war and lamenting devastation, acknowledge a known cosmic rule: Rudra’s devotee cannot be slain; the scene carries the weight of regret over a vow that triggered widespread ruin.
FAQs
Devotion to Rudra is portrayed as a powerful spiritual safeguard; vows and boons shape worldly outcomes, so dharma requires foresight.
No tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes the greatness of Rudra-bhakti rather than a location.
None explicitly; the verse highlights devotion (bhakti) and the binding force of vows.