Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततः संक्षिप्य तल्लिंगं लघु कृत्वा महेश्वरः । अब्रवीत्केशवं भूयः शृणु वाक्यमिदं हरे
pulastya uvāca | tataḥ saṃkṣipya talliṃgaṃ laghu kṛtvā maheśvaraḥ | abravītkeśavaṃ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu vākyamidaṃ hare
പുലസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ മഹേശ്വരൻ ആ ലിംഗത്തെ സംക്ഷിപ്തമാക്കി ചെറുതാക്കി, വീണ്ടും കേശവനോട് പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഹരി! ഈ വാക്ക് കേൾക്കുക.
Pulastya
Tirtha: Ananta-liṅga (contextual)
Type: temple
Listener: (implied) the receiving sage/audience in frame narrative
Scene: Pulastya narrates: Śiva compresses the liṅga into a small form; then Śiva turns to Keśava, raising a hand in teaching gesture, inviting him to listen.
FAQs
The divine becomes ‘approachable’: the infinite is willingly made small for the sake of dharma, worship, and a sacred site’s establishment.
Arbuda (the Arbuda Khaṇḍa setting), leading into the later naming of Kṛṣṇatīrtha.
Preparation for liṅga-sthāpana (installation) is implied by Śiva contracting the liṅga.