Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 62
कालभीतिरुवाच । सर्वभूतेषु चेदेवं शिव एवेति चोच्यते । नास्तिकां मृत्तिका कस्माद्भक्षयंति नभस्यके
kālabhītiruvāca | sarvabhūteṣu cedevaṃ śiva eveti cocyate | nāstikāṃ mṛttikā kasmādbhakṣayaṃti nabhasyake
Kālabhīti dit : Si l’on affirme qu’en tous les êtres il n’y a que Śiva, pourquoi donc l’argile, au mois de Nabhasya (Bhādrapada), « consume »-t-elle (c’est-à-dire atteint-elle) l’incroyant ?
Kālabhīti
Scene: A questioning devotee (Kālabhīti) stands before a serene Śaiva teacher in an āśrama; monsoon clouds suggest Bhādrapada. A clay bank/earth (mṛttikā) is shown as symbolically ‘consuming’ a skeptic, while Śiva’s all-pervading presence is hinted as a subtle aura in all beings.
FAQs
It raises a classic theological tension: if Śiva pervades all, how do karmic and ritual distinctions (pure/impure, believer/unbeliever) operate?
No tīrtha is named; the verse references a calendrical context (Nabhasya/Bhādrapada) rather than sacred geography.
Implicitly references month-based observances involving clay/earth (mṛttikā) in Nabhasya, but no explicit injunction is stated in this verse.