Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32
गता गणाश्च सर्वत्र भूतप्रेता दिशो दश । विसंज्ञं च स्वमात्मानं ज्ञात्वा देवो महेश्वरः
gatā gaṇāśca sarvatra bhūtapretā diśo daśa | visaṃjñaṃ ca svamātmānaṃ jñātvā devo maheśvaraḥ
ഗണങ്ങൾ എല്ലായിടത്തും പിരിഞ്ഞുപോയി, ഭൂത‑പ്രേതസമൂഹങ്ങൾ പത്തു ദിക്കുകളിലായി വ്യാപിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ദേവ മഹേശ്വരൻ തന്റെ സ്വസ്വരൂപം അചേതനമായതായി അറിഞ്ഞ് അതനുസരിച്ച് പ്രവർത്തിച്ചു।
Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (implied by subsequent 'rājan/nṛpa/mahārāja')
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A vast forest-kṣetra under a darkened sky; gaṇas dispersing in all directions while bhūtas and pretas stream through the ten quarters; Mahādeva stands momentarily still, sensing his own lapse into unconsciousness—an awe-filled pause before action.
FAQs
Even divine narratives depict crisis and recovery, pointing to Śiva’s lordship over beings of all realms and the unfolding of sacred purpose in a tīrtha’s story.
The broader context is Dharmāraṇya (the sacred forest) whose māhātmya is being narrated in this chapter.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the narrative scene for later tīrtha-phalā (merit descriptions).