Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 62
कालभीतिरुवाच । सर्वभूतेषु चेदेवं शिव एवेति चोच्यते । नास्तिकां मृत्तिका कस्माद्भक्षयंति नभस्यके
kālabhītiruvāca | sarvabhūteṣu cedevaṃ śiva eveti cocyate | nāstikāṃ mṛttikā kasmādbhakṣayaṃti nabhasyake
Kālabhīti berkata: Jika benar dikatakan bahawa dalam semua makhluk hanyalah Śiva semata-mata, maka mengapa tanah liat pada bulan Nabhasya (Bhādrapada) ‘memakan’ (yakni menimpa) orang yang tidak beriman?
Kālabhīti
Scene: A questioning devotee (Kālabhīti) stands before a serene Śaiva teacher in an āśrama; monsoon clouds suggest Bhādrapada. A clay bank/earth (mṛttikā) is shown as symbolically ‘consuming’ a skeptic, while Śiva’s all-pervading presence is hinted as a subtle aura in all beings.
FAQs
It raises a classic theological tension: if Śiva pervades all, how do karmic and ritual distinctions (pure/impure, believer/unbeliever) operate?
No tīrtha is named; the verse references a calendrical context (Nabhasya/Bhādrapada) rather than sacred geography.
Implicitly references month-based observances involving clay/earth (mṛttikā) in Nabhasya, but no explicit injunction is stated in this verse.