Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5
ततो देवा महेन्द्राद्यास्तारकत्रासविद्रुताः । स्तुवन्तः शंकरं सर्वे तारकस्य जिघृक्षया
tato devā mahendrādyāstārakatrāsavidrutāḥ | stuvantaḥ śaṃkaraṃ sarve tārakasya jighṛkṣayā
Kemudian para dewa—bermula dari Mahendra (Indra)—lari tercerai-berai karena takut kepada Tāraka. Dengan hasrat menangkap dan menundukkannya, semuanya melantunkan pujian kepada Śaṅkara.
Deductive (Nāgara-khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Indra and the devas, distressed and fleeing Tāraka’s terror, gather with folded hands and hymn Śaṅkara, their faces showing urgency and hope; the unseen threat of Tāraka looms in the background.
FAQs
In संकट (crisis), the devas take refuge in Śiva through praise and devotion—showing that divine grace is invoked by stuti aligned with dharma.
The verse functions as a narrative hinge within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the tīrtha-context is implicit rather than explicitly named here.
No explicit ritual; the implied practice is stuti (praise) as a devotional act.