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
แล้วเทพเจ้าพระองค์นั้นตรัสแก่พราหมณ์ผู้นั้นว่า “โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ทวิชะ จากปลายนิ้วหัวแม่มือของเรา ได้ปรากฏเถ้าสีขาวนวลออกมา”
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.