Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 113
ततोऽसौ तपसा युक्तः सार्द्धं तैर्देवतागणैः । सगणं रावणं रामः षड्भिर्मासैरजीहनत् । विष्णुना घातितः शस्त्रैः शिवसारूप्यमाप्तवान्
tato'sau tapasā yuktaḥ sārddhaṃ tairdevatāgaṇaiḥ | sagaṇaṃ rāvaṇaṃ rāmaḥ ṣaḍbhirmāsairajīhanat | viṣṇunā ghātitaḥ śastraiḥ śivasārūpyamāptavān
Alors, fortifié par l’austérité et accompagné de ces cohortes de divinités, Rāma tua Rāvaṇa avec toutes ses troupes en l’espace de six mois. Frappé par les armes de Viṣṇu, il obtint la ressemblance avec Śiva (Śiva-sārūpya).
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis (frame implied)
Scene: A climactic battlefield tableau: Rāma with devas around him, empowered by tapas, confronting Rāvaṇa and his host; the fall of Rāvaṇa is shown with a luminous transition—his spirit rising toward a Śiva-like radiance, indicating śiva-sārūpya.
FAQs
Tapas allied with divine purpose brings decisive victory, and even a fallen foe may attain a higher state through the Lord’s dispensation.
The Kedāra-khaṇḍa context glorifies Kedāra as a Śaiva realm where Śiva’s grace and the highest spiritual attainments are praised.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse emphasizes tapas and divine alignment as the effective means.