Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11
भिक्षाटनं कृतं येन पुरा दारुवने विभुः । शप्तोयं भिक्षुको रुद्रो भवद्भिः सखिभिस्तदा
bhikṣāṭanaṃ kṛtaṃ yena purā dāruvane vibhuḥ | śaptoyaṃ bhikṣuko rudro bhavadbhiḥ sakhibhistadā
Dia yang dahulu, sebagai Sang Penguasa, mengembara meminta sedekah di hutan Dāru—Rudra itu, tampil sebagai pengemis suci, kala itu dikutuk olehmu dan para sahabatmu.
Devī (deduced continuation)
Tirtha: Dāruvana (as remembered sacred episode within Kedāra teaching)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā and/or the assembly in Kedāra narrative (Brahmā implicated by ‘you and your companions’)
Scene: Rudra as a radiant mendicant (bhikṣuka) wandering in Dāruvana; forest-dwelling sages and their companions react with suspicion and pronounce a curse—tension between outer propriety and inner divinity.
FAQs
Misjudging the divine in humble disguise leads to grave error; true discernment recognizes Śiva beyond appearances.
Dāruvana is referenced as a mythic locale; within Kedārakhaṇḍa, such episodes reinforce Śiva’s greatness that sanctifies pilgrimage places like Kedāra.
No direct prescription; the verse cautions against irreverence and supports the necessity of proper worship and recognition.