Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
ततः प्रोवाच तं विप्रं स देवो द्विजसत्तमाः । यस्यांगुष्ठाग्रतो मह्यं निष्क्रांतं भस्म पांडुरम्
tataḥ provāca taṃ vipraṃ sa devo dvijasattamāḥ | yasyāṃguṣṭhāgrato mahyaṃ niṣkrāṃtaṃ bhasma pāṃḍuram
ततः स देवो तं विप्रं प्रोवाच—हे द्विजसत्तम, ममाङ्गुष्ठाग्रतः पाण्डुरं भस्म निष्क्रान्तम्।
Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja), speaking to the vipra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇa (vipra/dvija-sattama)
Scene: Śiva turns to the brāhmaṇa and speaks calmly, drawing attention to the pale ash that has emerged from his thumb-tip; the brāhmaṇa listens in reverent stillness, hands folded.
FAQs
Divine signs are presented to guide understanding; Śiva’s bhasma indicates a higher Śaiva dharmic orientation beyond mere marvel-seeking.
Not specified in the verse; it continues the tīrtha-māhātmya storyline in Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
None directly; the focus is on bhasma’s manifestation, a core element of Śaiva religious culture.
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