Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43
प्रोत्फुल्लामलनीलाब्जं शरदीवामलं सरः । भस्मशुभ्रतनुच्छायै रुद्र र्हंसैरिवावृतम्
protphullāmalanīlābjaṃ śaradīvāmalaṃ saraḥ | bhasmaśubhratanucchāyai rudra rhaṃsairivāvṛtam
वह शरद्-ऋतु के निर्मल सरोवर-सा प्रतीत हुआ, जिसमें निष्कलंक नील-कमल खिले हों; मानो भस्म-धवल देह-छाया वाले रुद्र-हंसों से वह आच्छादित हो।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: A startlingly beautiful comparison: the bloodied, ash-bright scene is likened to an autumn lake with blooming blue lotuses, over which white swans glide—here ‘Rudra-swans’ whose bodies shine like sacred ash.
FAQs
The Rudras are portrayed as purifying forces—like autumn clarity and ash-white radiance—signifying cleansing of impurity and fear.
No specific site is named; the verse uses nature imagery to magnify the Śaiva presence.
None directly, though bhasma imagery aligns with Śaiva devotional practice.