Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63
एतद्रहस्यमिदमेव नृणां प्रधानं कर्तव्यमत्र शिवपूजनमेव भूप । यस्यांतरायपदवीमुपयांति लोकाः सद्योः नरः शिवनतः शिवमेव सत्यम्
etadrahasyamidameva nṛṇāṃ pradhānaṃ kartavyamatra śivapūjanameva bhūpa | yasyāṃtarāyapadavīmupayāṃti lokāḥ sadyoḥ naraḥ śivanataḥ śivameva satyam
हे राजा, मानवांचे मुख्य कर्तव्य शिवपूजन हेच आहे, हेच रहस्य आहे. शिवला नमन करणारा मनुष्य अडथळ्यांवर मात करून सत्यस्वरूप शिवालाच प्राप्त करतो.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration
Listener: Bhūpa (king) explicitly addressed
Scene: A king is instructed that Śiva-worship alone is the secret duty; around him, people struggle on a thorny path of obstacles, while one devotee bows to Śiva and is shown merging into Śiva’s light.
FAQs
The ‘rahasya’ is that Śiva-pūjā is the highest human duty; surrender to Śiva cuts through obstacles and grants swift spiritual fulfillment.
No particular tīrtha is named; the verse functions as a universal mahātmya of Śiva-worship itself.
Śiva-pūjana (worship) and śiva-namaskāra (bowing to Śiva) are prescribed as the central practices.