Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 8
दधार गर्भं चटिका तपोमूर्तिधरा यथा । तस्य गर्भस्य वर्षाणि चत्वारि किल संययुः
dadhāra garbhaṃ caṭikā tapomūrtidharā yathā | tasya garbhasya varṣāṇi catvāri kila saṃyayuḥ
ചടികാ തപസ്സിന്റെ മൂർത്തിയെ തന്നെ ധരിച്ചതുപോലെ ഗർഭം ധരിച്ചു. ആ ഗർഭത്തിന് നാലു വർഷങ്ങൾ കഴിഞ്ഞുവെന്ന് പറയുന്നു.
Nārada
Scene: Caṭikā, radiant yet austere, is shown pregnant with a subtle glow at her abdomen, suggesting ‘tapas embodied’; time is marked by seasons passing—four years—around the hermitage.
FAQs
The fruit of tapas can manifest in extraordinary ways, suggesting that divine boons may unfold beyond ordinary expectations.
The setting continues to be Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), where the devotee’s Rudra-japa and Śiva’s boon take effect.
None directly; the verse describes an exceptional gestation as part of the sacred narrative.