Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18
भक्षितं हि गरं येन दक्षयज्ञो विनाशितः । कालस्य दहनं येन कृतं राज्ञः प्रमोचनम्
bhakṣitaṃ hi garaṃ yena dakṣayajño vināśitaḥ | kālasya dahanaṃ yena kṛtaṃ rājñaḥ pramocanam
C’est lui qui avala le poison meurtrier ; c’est par lui que le sacrifice de Dakṣa fut détruit ; c’est lui qui, par son feu, fit reculer la Mort et accorda la délivrance à un roi.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced; narrative continues into v.20)
Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha (contextual frame)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A composite praise-scene: Śiva with blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha) recalling poison-swallowing; the shattered sacrificial arena of Dakṣa; and Śiva as Kāla-antaka subduing Yama, while a grateful king is released from a noose-like fate.
FAQs
Śiva is celebrated as the cosmic protector: he absorbs poison, humbles arrogant ritualism, and overpowers Death to save devotees.
The Kedāra Khaṇḍa setting underlies the praise, but the verse itself recounts pan-Purāṇic deeds of Śiva rather than a localized tīrtha.
No direct ritual instruction appears; it is a eulogy of Śiva’s salvific acts.