Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 4
स्कन्दसरः (Skandasara) — तीर्थवर्णनम् / Description of the Skandasara Sacred Lake
सुखावतरणारोहैः स्थलैर्नीलशिलामयैः । सोपानमार्गौ रुचिरैश्शोभमानाष्टदिङ्मुखम्
sukhāvataraṇārohaiḥ sthalairnīlaśilāmayaiḥ | sopānamārgau ruciraiśśobhamānāṣṭadiṅmukham
सहज उतरण्या-चढण्यासाठी रम्य मचाणे होती, ती निळसर शिळेची बनलेली होती. सुंदर सोपानमार्गांनी शोभून ते आठही दिशांकडे मुख करून तेजस्वी दिसत होते।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
By describing a structure facing all eight directions, the verse points to Shiva as Pati—the all-pervading Lord—accessible to devotees from every quarter, symbolizing His universal grace and protection over the cosmos.
The orderly terraces and stairways evoke temple approach and darśana: Saguna Shiva is approached step-by-step through devotion and purity, culminating in direct worship—often centered on the Liṅga as the visible focus of the formless Supreme.
A practical takeaway is directional reverence and pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) with mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—treating every direction as sanctified by Shiva’s presence.