Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10
अन्यथा निष्फलं सर्वं श्रद्धाहीनं तु भारत । तस्मात्समाश्रयेद्भक्तिं रुद्रस्य परमेष्ठिनः
anyathā niṣphalaṃ sarvaṃ śraddhāhīnaṃ tu bhārata | tasmātsamāśrayedbhaktiṃ rudrasya parameṣṭhinaḥ
അല്ലെങ്കിൽ, ഹേ ഭാരതാ, ശ്രദ്ധയില്ലാതെ ചെയ്തതെല്ലാം നിഷ്ഫലമാണ്. അതിനാൽ പരമേശ്വരനായ രുദ്രന്റെ ഭക്തിയിൽ ശരണം പ്രാപിക്കണം.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Bhārata (addressed)
Scene: A pilgrim-priest instructs a devotee: offerings and rites appear dim and barren when done without faith; when the devotee turns to Rudra with folded hands, the same acts glow with sanctity.
FAQs
Without śraddhā, even elaborate religious acts fail; bhakti to Rudra is the reliable refuge and path.
No single location is named; the verse supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader Shaiva devotional ethos tied to sacred geographies.
The instruction is to adopt Rudra-bhakti (devotion to Śiva) as one’s primary spiritual reliance, implying worship and remembrance with faith.