Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25
एवमुक्तो महादेवो देव्या वाक्यहिते रतः । कृत्वा कापालिकं रूपं ययौ दारुवनं प्रति
evamukto mahādevo devyā vākyahite rataḥ | kṛtvā kāpālikaṃ rūpaṃ yayau dāruvanaṃ prati
یوں مخاطب کیے جانے پر، دیوی کے کلام کی تکمیل میں مشغول مہادیو نے کاپالک کا روپ دھارا اور داروون کی طرف روانہ ہوا۔
Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)
Tirtha: Dāruvana
Type: kshetra
Scene: Mahādeva transforms into a Kāpālika—matted hair, ash-smeared body, skull-bowl and staff—then strides toward the dense Dāruvana where ascetics dwell.
FAQs
Divine līlā often uses disguise to teach dharma—Śiva adopts an ascetic form to demonstrate a deeper moral point.
Dāruvana (the sacred forest) is introduced as the key locale for the ensuing episode.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse narrates Śiva’s assumption of the Kāpālika form and his journey.