Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 116
येऽर्चयंति शिवं नित्यं लिंगरूपिणमेव च । स्त्रियो वाप्यथ वा शूद्राः श्वपचा ह्यंत्यवासिनः । तं शिवं प्राप्नुवंत्येव सर्वदुःखोपनाशनम्
ye'rcayaṃti śivaṃ nityaṃ liṃgarūpiṇameva ca | striyo vāpyatha vā śūdrāḥ śvapacā hyaṃtyavāsinaḥ | taṃ śivaṃ prāpnuvaṃtyeva sarvaduḥkhopanāśanam
Ceux qui vénèrent Śiva chaque jour—Śiva présent sous la forme du Liṅga—qu’ils soient femmes, Śūdras, ou même cuisiniers de chien et habitants des marges, atteignent assurément ce Śiva qui anéantit toute souffrance.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis (contextual)
Scene: A diverse group—women, Śūdras, and marginalized communities—stand in reverent lines offering water and bilva to a liṅga; Śiva’s compassionate aura dissolves sorrow, depicted as dark clouds lifting.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace through liṅga-worship is accessible to all; sincere devotion overcomes all barriers and ends suffering.
Within Kedāra-khaṇḍa, the statement functions as Kedāra-kṣetra-māhātmya: the place where liṅga-worship yields supreme fruit.
Nitya-arcana (daily worship) of Śiva in liṅga form is explicitly prescribed and praised.