Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30
श्रीभगवानुवाच । माघमासस्य कृष्णायां चतुर्दश्यां सुरेश्वर । अहं यास्यामि भूपृष्ठे रात्रौ नैव दिवा कलौ
śrībhagavānuvāca | māghamāsasya kṛṣṇāyāṃ caturdaśyāṃ sureśvara | ahaṃ yāsyāmi bhūpṛṣṭhe rātrau naiva divā kalau
Sabda Tuhan Yang Maha Mulia: Wahai Penguasa para dewa, pada hari keempat belas paruh gelap (kṛṣṇa pakṣa) bulan Māgha, Aku akan turun ke permukaan bumi—pada malam hari, bukan pada siang hari—dalam zaman Kali.
Śiva (Śrī Bhagavān)
Tirtha: Māgha-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī (Śivarātri night)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sureśvara (Indra or lord of devas)
Scene: Śrī Bhagavān (Śiva) declares his descent on Māgha dark-fortnight fourteenth, specifically at night; the scene shows a cosmic calendar motif, moon waning, and Śiva moving from celestial realm toward earth under a starry sky.
FAQs
Śivarātri is divinely appointed as a night of special access to Śiva’s presence, especially meaningful in Kali Yuga.
The verse sanctifies a sacred time (Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī night) rather than naming a single tīrtha.
Night-focused worship on Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī (Śivarātri context), emphasizing nocturnal observance.