Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9
काचित्प्रियतमं शंभुं बभाषे विस्मयान्विता । कोसि त्वं भिक्षुको भूत्वा आगतोत्र महामते
kācitpriyatamaṃ śaṃbhuṃ babhāṣe vismayānvitā | kosi tvaṃ bhikṣuko bhūtvā āgatotra mahāmate
అప్పుడు ఒక స్త్రీ ఆశ్చర్యంతో తన ప్రియుడైన శంభువుతో పలికింది— “హే మహామతీ! భిక్షుకుని వేషంలో నీవెవరు, ఇక్కడికి ఎలా వచ్చితివి?”
ṛṣibhāryā (a sage’s wife) addressing Śiva
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Scene: In a Himalayan hermitage near Kedāra, a sage’s wife, astonished, addresses Śambhu who appears as a lone beggar; her posture is questioning, his presence serene and enigmatic.
FAQs
The divine may appear in humble forms to awaken discernment and devotion; wonder becomes the doorway to inquiry (jijñāsā).
Kedāra’s sacred setting (Kedārakhaṇḍa), where Śiva’s līlā is narrated as part of the place’s greatness.
None explicitly; the focus is on recognition and inquiry regarding the mendicant form.