Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
काष्ठीभूतं तु तं ज्ञात्वा शिवः पस्पर्श पाणिना । महातपः समुद्भूत संतापामृतवर्षिणा
kāṣṭhībhūtaṃ tu taṃ jñātvā śivaḥ pasparśa pāṇinā | mahātapaḥ samudbhūta saṃtāpāmṛtavarṣiṇā
Le sachant devenu tel un morceau de bois—immobile et insensible—Śiva le toucha de sa main, qui faisait pleuvoir le nectar sur l’ardeur née de la grande austérité.
Narrator (Skanda-to-Agastya context in Kāśī Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kāśī-Avimukta
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: Śiva recognizes the Sun as wood-like in absorption and gently touches him; from the Lord’s palm flows a cool nectar-rain that soothes the heat of severe austerity.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace cools the burning strain of austerity; divine contact restores balance and awakens the devotee.
The narrative belongs to Kāśī’s Mahātmya setting, where Śiva’s immediate compassion is celebrated.
No explicit ritual is given; the motif is the fruit of tapas culminating in Śiva’s anugraha (favor).