Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 15
कुमाराद्भुतचरितवर्णनम् — Description of Kumāra’s Wondrous Deeds
विबुधगुरुरपि त्वां स्तोतुमीशो न हि स्यात्कथय कथमहं स्यां मंदबुद्धिर्वरार्च्यः । शुचिरशुचिरनार्यो यादृशस्तादृशो वा पदकमल परागं स्कन्द ते प्रार्थयामि
vibudhagururapi tvāṃ stotumīśo na hi syātkathaya kathamahaṃ syāṃ maṃdabuddhirvarārcyaḥ | śuciraśuciranāryo yādṛśastādṛśo vā padakamala parāgaṃ skanda te prārthayāmi
神々の師でさえ、あなたを余すところなく讃えることはできません。では申してください――愚鈍な私が、いかにして至上の主を礼拝するに足りましょうか。清らかであれ不浄であれ、洗練されていようと粗野であろうと――いかなる私であっても――おおスカンダよ、ただあなたの蓮華の御足の花粉の塵をこそ願い求めます。
A devotee addressing Lord Skanda (Kārttikeya) within the Kumārakhaṇḍa narrative
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Mantra: विबुधगुरुरपि त्वां स्तोतुमीशो न हि स्यात्कथय कथमहं स्यां मंदबुद्धिर्वरार्च्यः । शुचिरशुचिरनार्यो यादृशस्तादृशो वा पदकमल परागं स्कन्द ते प्रार्थयामि
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches Shaiva bhakti grounded in humility: even the greatest intellect cannot fully praise the divine, so the seeker relies on śaraṇāgati—seeking the grace symbolized by the dust of Skanda’s lotus feet, beyond notions of purity or social worth.
Skanda is revered as Shiva’s divine power and son; approaching Skanda with surrender mirrors approaching Saguna Shiva (including the Liṅga) with devotion, where grace—not personal qualification—becomes the primary means of spiritual uplift.
Practice inner surrender and foot-centered devotion (pāda-dhyāna): meditate on the lotus feet of the deity and cultivate humility while repeating a Shaiva mantra such as “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” offering all merit and impurity alike into divine grace.