Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42
मासेमासे च योऽश्नीयाद्यावज्जीवं सुरेश्वरि । यश्चार्च्चयेत्सकृल्लिंगं सममेतन्न संशयः
māsemāse ca yo'śnīyādyāvajjīvaṃ sureśvari | yaścārccayetsakṛlliṃgaṃ samametanna saṃśayaḥ
Ô Reine des Dieux, celui qui, mois après mois, accomplit toute sa vie l’observance sacrée de l’offrande/nourriture rituelle, et celui qui adore le liṅga ne fût-ce qu’une seule fois—tous deux sont égaux en mérite ; il n’y a là aucun doute.
Śiva (as Somnātha), addressing Sureśvarī (likely Pārvatī)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sureśvarī (Indrāṇī)
Scene: A life timeline motif: a devotee performing monthly rites across years fades into the background, while in the foreground a single, focused worship of the Śiva-liṅga shines equally bright—Śiva’s grace balancing the scales.
FAQs
A single act of intense, properly directed devotion at a supreme shrine can equal prolonged routine observance.
Somnātha in Prabhāsakṣetra, where even one-time liṅga worship is declared highly potent.
Regular monthly observance involving regulated eating/feeding, and alternatively a single act of liṅga worship (arcana).