Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 151
गगनस्थो यथा चंद्रो ग्रहीतुं न हि शक्यते । तथैव दुर्गमः शर्भुर्जानीहि त्वं शुचिस्मिते
gaganastho yathā caṃdro grahītuṃ na hi śakyate | tathaiva durgamaḥ śarbhurjānīhi tvaṃ śucismite
जसा आकाशस्थ चंद्र पकडता येत नाही, तसाच शर्भु (शिव) दुर्गम आहे—हे शुचिस्मिते, तू जाणून घे.
Himālaya (to Pārvatī)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A poetic comparison: the moon high in the sky cannot be seized; likewise Śarbhu (Śiva) is hard to reach; addressed to a smiling, pure one.
FAQs
The Divine is not an object to be ‘possessed’; realization comes through worthiness, grace, and sustained sādhanā.
The verse sits within Kedāra-khaṇḍa, aligning the teaching with the Kedāra region’s Shaiva sacredness.
None; it offers a metaphor underscoring Śiva’s transcendence and difficulty of attainment.