Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43
ब्रह्मचारिस्वरूपेण महेशो भगवान्भवः । सखीनां मध्यमाश्रित्य ह्युवाच बटुरूपवान् । किमर्थमालिमध्यस्था तन्वी सर्वांगसुन्दरी
brahmacārisvarūpeṇa maheśo bhagavānbhavaḥ | sakhīnāṃ madhyamāśritya hyuvāca baṭurūpavān | kimarthamālimadhyasthā tanvī sarvāṃgasundarī
Bhagavān Maheśa—Bhava sendiri—mengambil rupa seorang brahmacārin. Berdiri di tengah para sahabatnya, dalam wujud baṭu baginda bersabda: “Wahai yang ramping, yang elok sempurna segenap anggota, apakah tujuanmu berdiri di sini di tengah teman-temanmu?”
Śiva (as a brahmacārin/baṭu)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Inquirer(s) within the Kedāra māhātmya discourse
Scene: Śiva, disguised as a youthful brahmacārin, stands among Pārvatī’s companions and addresses her with a probing yet gentle question about her purpose.
FAQs
Divine goals are tested; steadfastness in dharma and tapas is refined through trials sent by the Lord himself.
The setting belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa, associated with the Kedāra/Himālaya sacred geography where Śiva’s presence and Pārvatī’s austerities are celebrated.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse introduces the context of tapas (austerity) and divine inquiry.