Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7
शंभुना हि विना तात कथं यज्ञः प्रवर्तते । एते कथं समायाता ब्रह्मणा सहिताः पितः
śaṃbhunā hi vinā tāta kathaṃ yajñaḥ pravartate | ete kathaṃ samāyātā brahmaṇā sahitāḥ pitaḥ
«Père bien-aimé, sans Śambhu, comment le sacrifice pourrait-il se dérouler ? Et, ô père, comment ces dieux sont-ils venus ici, accompagnés de Brahmā ?»
Devī (deduced continuation; addressing ‘tāta’ and ‘pitaḥ’ within a familial dialogue)
Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages; within verse the Goddess addresses her father/elder and the yajña host
Scene: The Goddess addresses her father/elder (tāta/pitaḥ) amid a grand assembly: devas seated in splendor, Brahmā with four faces present; the empty seat/absence of Śiva is conspicuous, creating tension.
FAQs
Śiva is the indispensable foundation of sacred action; excluding him disrupts both ritual efficacy and cosmic order.
Kedārakhaṇḍa’s broader aim is Kedāra Mahātmya; this verse builds the doctrinal basis for Śiva-centered pilgrimage and worship.
Implied: ensure Śiva’s invocation and honor as prerequisite for yajña to be valid and fruitful.