Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 87
येन रुद्रायते भक्त्या कुरुते मार्जनक्रियाम् । तस्मान्मार्जयते त्वेवं स्थाणुनैतत्परस्परम्
yena rudrāyate bhaktyā kurute mārjanakriyām | tasmānmārjayate tvevaṃ sthāṇunaitatparasparam
ज्या भक्तीने साधक ‘रुद्रसदृश’ होऊन मार्जनक्रिया करतो, त्याच भक्तीने जणू स्थाणु-प्रभूही शुद्ध होतात; पण हे परस्परांचे अक्षरशः शोधन नाही.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Type: temple
Scene: A priest gently wipes and cleans the liṅga pedestal and sanctum floor; a subtle visual metaphor shows the devotee’s aura brightening, while Śiva as Sthāṇu remains serene and unchanged—indicating figurative ‘cleansing’.
FAQs
Service done in bhakti transforms the devotee; Śiva is ever-pure, so the ‘cleansing’ is symbolic of the devotee’s purification.
No specific site is mentioned; the teaching applies broadly to Śaiva temple service.
Perform mārjana (ritual cleaning) with Rudra-bhakti—devotional identification with Rudra—understanding its inner meaning.