Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
श्रीभगवानुवाच । अनेनैव तु रूपेण मस्तकस्थेन वै ततः । तपः कुरु समाधिस्थो ममाराधनतत्परः
śrībhagavānuvāca | anenaiva tu rūpeṇa mastakasthena vai tataḥ | tapaḥ kuru samādhistho mamārādhanatatparaḥ
Sang Bhagavān bersabda: “Dalam rupa ini juga, dengan itu tetap berada di atas kepalamu, lakukan tapa. Teguhlah dalam samādhi, dan bulatkan diri sepenuhnya dalam pemujaan kepada-Ku.”
Śiva (Śrī Bhagavān)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śiva speaks as guru and judge, instructing Brahmā to perform tapas in the same form, bearing it upon his head, remaining in samādhi and wholly devoted to Śiva’s worship; the atmosphere shifts from courtroom to āśrama-like discipline.
FAQs
Atonement is not merely regret but disciplined practice—tapas, concentration, and devoted worship.
This instruction is part of the causative narrative for the later celebrated Rudraśiraḥ sacred site in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
Tapas (austerity), samādhi (meditative absorption), and Śiva-ārādhana (devotional worship) are prescribed as prāyaścitta.