Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 495
यथा तिलगतं तैलं गूढं तिष्ठति सर्वदा । तथा त्वं सर्व लोकेषु गूढस्तिष्ठसि शंकर
yathā tilagataṃ tailaṃ gūḍhaṃ tiṣṭhati sarvadā | tathā tvaṃ sarva lokeṣu gūḍhastiṣṭhasi śaṃkara
Just as oil remains ever hidden within the sesame seed, so too, O Śaṅkara, do You abide—hidden yet present—throughout all worlds.
Sūta (deduced; verse itself is a direct address to Śaṅkara)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cosmic Śaṅkara subtly pervading worlds: sesame seeds in the foreground with a drop of oil emerging; behind, translucent Śiva-form overlaying mountains, rivers, cities, and temples—hidden yet everywhere.
FAQs
The divine may be unseen yet is inwardly present everywhere; tīrthas help devotees recognize this concealed immanence.
The verse functions as a universal theological statement within the ongoing tīrtha discourse of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, rather than naming a single site.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; it teaches contemplative insight into Śiva’s all-pervading presence.
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