Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 182
गौतमो गोरजमयं नाम गोपतिरेव च । वानप्रस्थाः फलमयं नाम वृक्षावृतेति च
gautamo gorajamayaṃ nāma gopatireva ca | vānaprasthāḥ phalamayaṃ nāma vṛkṣāvṛteti ca
गौतम गो-रज (गाय की धूल) से बने लिंग की पूजा करते हैं; उसका नाम ‘गोपति’—गौओं के स्वामी—है। वानप्रस्थ फलमय लिंग की पूजा करते हैं; वह ‘वृक्षावृत’—वृक्षों से आवृत—नाम से जाना जाता है।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), addressing the sages (deduced)
Listener: Ṛṣis
Scene: Sage Gautama near a cowshed/gaushala fashions a liṅga from fine cow-dust, offering bilva and water; in a dense forest, vānaprasthas place fruits before a liṅga naturally wrapped by tree roots and creepers (Vṛkṣāvṛta).
FAQs
Śiva is accessible in every āśrama: household and forest life both sanctify simple, locally available offerings through devotion.
No explicit tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes a dharmic pattern of worship rather than a location.
Liṅga-pūjā may be performed with symbolic materials (cow-dust; fruits) suited to one’s station and environment.