Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31
दानेन भोगानाप्नोति इत्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत् । पर्वतात्पश्चिमे देशे स्वयं देवो महेश्वरः । स्थितः प्रणवरूपोऽसौ जगदादिः सनातनः
dānena bhogānāpnoti ityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt | parvatātpaścime deśe svayaṃ devo maheśvaraḥ | sthitaḥ praṇavarūpo'sau jagadādiḥ sanātanaḥ
“Dengan dāna (sedekah) seseorang memperoleh kenikmatan”—demikian Śaṅkara bersabda. Dan di sebelah barat gunung itu, Tuhan Maheśvara sendiri bersemayam—teguh dalam rupa Praṇava (Oṃ), asal mula dunia yang awal dan kekal.
Śaṅkara (Śiva) is quoted; overall narration by Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Praṇava-sthāna of Maheśvara (west of the mountain)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pāṇḍava (king)
Scene: A mountain silhouette; to its west a radiant Oṃ-shaped aura above a liṅga or self-manifest light; Śaṅkara’s declaration on dāna echoed by a sage addressing a king; pilgrims offering gifts.
FAQs
Dharma is both ethical and metaphysical: charity yields worldly fruition, while the Lord as Oṃ reveals the eternal ground of pilgrimage and devotion.
A western region of the sacred mountain where Maheśvara is said to be established in the form of Praṇava (Oṃ).
Dāna (charitable giving) is explicitly praised as a means to obtain bhoga (worldly enjoyments/prosperity).