Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
युद्धे पुनस्तारकं च वधिष्यति न संशयः । येनोपायेन भगवाञ्छंभुः सर्वगुहाशयः
yuddhe punastārakaṃ ca vadhiṣyati na saṃśayaḥ | yenopāyena bhagavāñchaṃbhuḥ sarvaguhāśayaḥ
Dans la bataille, il tuera assurément Tāraka — il n’y a nul doute. Par quelque moyen que ce soit, afin d’approcher et d’apaiser le Bienheureux Śambhu, qui demeure dans le sanctuaire secret de tous les cœurs…
Aśarīrā-vāṇī (continuing)
Tirtha: Kedāra (as Śambhu’s seat) implicitly; inner ‘guhā’ as spiritual tīrtha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devas
Scene: A prophetic assurance: Skanda will slay Tāraka in battle; simultaneously, Śambhu is evoked as the hidden indweller of all hearts—suggesting a split imagery of cosmic war and meditative inner shrine.
FAQs
Śiva is both transcendent and indwelling; victory over adharma is assured when aligned with the divine will.
No specific tīrtha is named in the verse; it remains within Kedāra-kathā context.
The verse hints at an ‘upāya’ (means) of approaching Śiva, but the specific practice is not stated in this line.