Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
कर्ता कारयिता शंभुः किमतथ्यं ब्रवीम्यहम् । अथवा चिंतया किं मे तपस्विन्ननया विभो
kartā kārayitā śaṃbhuḥ kimatathyaṃ bravīmyaham | athavā ciṃtayā kiṃ me tapasvinnanayā vibho
“کرتا بھی شَمبھو ہے اور کرانے والا بھی وہی؛ میں جھوٹ کیسے کہہ سکتا ہوں؟ پھر بھی، اے صاحبِ ریاضتِ باجلال، اس فکر سے مجھے کیا حاصل؟”
Jaṭādhara (ascetic) (deduced: theological assertion about Śambhu)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The speaker invokes Śambhu’s agency; a subtle vision of Śiva as an unseen presence behind the ascetic—trident silhouette, crescent moon, and a faint liṅga aura—while the king listens.
FAQs
Śiva is both the agent and the supreme cause; recognizing divine agency dissolves anxiety and supports truthful living.
The Kāśī setting underlies the teaching: in Śiva’s city, events are understood as governed by Śambhu’s will.
No explicit rite is mentioned; the focus is philosophical dharma—truthfulness grounded in Śiva’s sovereignty.