Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
नास्माकमन्वये कश्चित्सांप्रतं वर्तते नृपः । तस्याहं लिंगमेतद्वै दर्शयामि द्विजोत्तमाः
nāsmākamanvaye kaścitsāṃprataṃ vartate nṛpaḥ | tasyāhaṃ liṃgametadvai darśayāmi dvijottamāḥ
“Dalam salasilah diraja kami, pada masa ini tiada seorang raja pun yang memerintah. Maka, wahai yang dua-kali-lahir yang utama, beta perlihatkan liṅga ini sebagai gantinya.”
Unspecified (a royal/associated figure addressing brāhmaṇas, within Sūta’s narration-context)
Type: temple
Listener: dvijottamāḥ
Scene: A king gestures toward a newly revealed or established liṅga, explaining that since no king remains in his lineage, this liṅga is shown as the representative; brāhmaṇas look on as witnesses.
FAQs
When worldly authority declines, devotion to Śiva through the liṅga is upheld as a stable support for dharma.
The verse sits in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the immediate snippet emphasizes a local liṅga’s authority rather than naming the site explicitly.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the focus is on presenting/recognizing the liṅga as the central object of reverence.