Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
न प्रापुर्लोकनाथं ते कृत्वा यः प्रतिमाकृतिम् । तपसाराधयामासुः सर्वभूतहृदिस्थितम्
na prāpurlokanāthaṃ te kṛtvā yaḥ pratimākṛtim | tapasārādhayāmāsuḥ sarvabhūtahṛdisthitam
വെറും പ്രതിമാരൂപം നിർമ്മിച്ചതുകൊണ്ട് അവർ ലോകനാഥനെ പ്രാപിച്ചില്ല; പകരം തപസ്സിലൂടെ സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന അവനെയേ അവർ ആരാധിച്ചു।
Narrator (contextual; not explicit in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Devas abandon mere craftsmanship of an idol and instead sit in austere meditation, bodies radiant with tapas, focusing inward on the heart-lotus where Śiva shines.
FAQs
External forms alone are insufficient; true attainment comes through disciplined tapas and worship of the indwelling Lord present in all hearts.
The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but this line itself emphasizes inner realization rather than naming a particular tīrtha.
Tapas (austerity) as the means of ārādhana (propitiatory worship), beyond mere crafting of a pratimā (image).