Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य शिवरात्रिः समागता । माघमासेऽसितेपक्षे सर्वपातकनाशिनी
kasyacittvatha kālasya śivarātriḥ samāgatā | māghamāse'sitepakṣe sarvapātakanāśinī
Puis, au fil du temps, survint Śivarātri—durant la quinzaine sombre du mois de Māgha—célèbre pour détruire tous les péchés.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; traditionally Sūta)
Tirtha: Śivarātri (as kāla-tīrtha within the kṣetra narrative)
Type: kshetra
Listener: assembled listeners (implied)
Scene: The calendar-turning moment: the dark fortnight of Māgha brings Śivarātri, depicted as a sacred night descending—lamps lit, devotees preparing offerings, the atmosphere charged with purification.
FAQs
Sacred time (kāla) itself can become a vehicle of purification; Śivarātri is praised as capable of destroying even accumulated sins.
The focus here is the sacred observance of Śivarātri; the site context follows with the mention of Śiva’s shrine where the vigil is performed.
The verse signals the Śivarātri observance (vrata context), especially its timing in Māgha during the dark fortnight.