Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 123
एतदर्थं मया देवि तीर्थानि विविधानि च । लिंगानि चैव सुश्रोणि गोपितानि प्रयत्नतः । न सिद्धिदानि देवेशि कलौ कल्मषकारिणाम्
etadarthaṃ mayā devi tīrthāni vividhāni ca | liṃgāni caiva suśroṇi gopitāni prayatnataḥ | na siddhidāni deveśi kalau kalmaṣakāriṇām
C’est pour cela même, ô Déesse, que j’ai soigneusement dissimulé divers tīrtha et aussi des liṅga, ô toi aux hanches gracieuses ; car en l’âge de Kali ils n’accordent pas l’accomplissement à ceux qui engendrent la souillure, ô Dame du Seigneur des dieux.
Śiva (Īśvara)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (various gupta-tīrthas and gupta-liṅgas)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī
Scene: Śiva tells Devī that many tīrthas and liṅgas are carefully hidden: the landscape shows partially veiled shrines—liṅgas half-submerged in sand or water, entrances covered by vines—while a protective divine aura seals them from impure approach.
FAQs
Sacred power is safeguarded; without purity and dharma, even holy sites and liṅgas do not yield siddhi.
Prabhāsa is the central context, with a broader statement about many concealed tīrthas and liṅgas.
An eligibility principle is taught: avoid kalmaṣa (defilement) to receive the fruit of tīrtha and liṅga worship.