Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 85
यस्मिन्राष्ट्रोऽथ वा देशे ग्रामे चापि विचक्षणः । शिवभक्तो न दृश्येत स्मशानात्तु विशिष्यते । तद्राष्ट्रं देशमित्याहुः सत्यं प्रतिवदामि वः
yasminrāṣṭro'tha vā deśe grāme cāpi vicakṣaṇaḥ | śivabhakto na dṛśyeta smaśānāttu viśiṣyate | tadrāṣṭraṃ deśamityāhuḥ satyaṃ prativadāmi vaḥ
Dans tout royaume, toute contrée, ou même tout village où l’on ne voit pas un dévot avisé de Śiva, cette terre est pire qu’un lieu de crémation. C’est cela seul qu’on appelle un « pays » ; telle est la vérité que je vous proclame.
Yama/Kāla
Listener: Dūtas
Scene: A map-like sweep of kingdoms and villages contrasted: one with a visible Śiva-bhakta radiating calm; another empty of devotion, shown as bleak like a śmaśāna; narrator asserts truth.
FAQs
A community’s spiritual vitality is measured by living devotion; absence of Śiva-bhakti is portrayed as spiritual desolation.
The statement is general, delivered within Kedārakhaṇḍa’s sacred frame rather than naming a single tirtha.
No single ritual; it emphasizes the presence and value of Śiva-bhaktas as a dhārmic necessity.