Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38
शासनं शिरसा धृत्वा देवदेवस्य शूलिनः । कालिकाऽलिहितो वीरः सर्वभूतैः समावृतः । वीरभद्रो महातेजा ययौ दक्षमखं प्रति
śāsanaṃ śirasā dhṛtvā devadevasya śūlinaḥ | kālikā'lihito vīraḥ sarvabhūtaiḥ samāvṛtaḥ | vīrabhadro mahātejā yayau dakṣamakhaṃ prati
Dengan menjunjung di atas kepala titah Dewa segala dewa, Śiva pemegang trisula, sang wira—ditandai oleh Kālī dan dikelilingi oleh bala bhūta—Vīrabhadra yang bercahaya agung pun berangkat menuju upacara korban (yajña) Dakṣa.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kedāra (frame) / Dakṣa-yajña kṣetra (destination)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sage-audience
Scene: Vīrabhadra bows his head as if bearing Rudra’s command like a crown; Kālī touches/marks him (tilaka/anointment), and an immense tide of bhūtas surges behind as he marches toward the blazing yajña pavilion in the distance.
FAQs
True strength is sanctified by obedience to divine dharma; even fierce power is portrayed as disciplined service.
The Kedārakhaṇḍa context links the narrative to the Kedāra-Himalayan sacred sphere; this verse narrates movement toward Dakṣa’s yajña rather than praising a particular tīrtha.
None; it emphasizes acceptance of Śiva’s command (ājñā) as a dharmic principle.