Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 182
गौतमो गोरजमयं नाम गोपतिरेव च । वानप्रस्थाः फलमयं नाम वृक्षावृतेति च
gautamo gorajamayaṃ nāma gopatireva ca | vānaprasthāḥ phalamayaṃ nāma vṛkṣāvṛteti ca
گوتم نے گائے کی دھول سے بنا ہوا لِنگ پوجا؛ وہ یقیناً ‘گوپتی’ یعنی ‘گایوں کا مالک’ کہلاتا ہے۔ جنگل میں رہنے والے وانپرستھوں نے پھلوں سے بنا لِنگ بھجا؛ اس کا نام ‘ورِکشاوِرت’ یعنی ‘درختوں سے گھِرا ہوا’ ہے۔
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), addressing the sages (deduced)
Listener: Ṛṣis
Scene: Sage Gautama near a cowshed/gaushala fashions a liṅga from fine cow-dust, offering bilva and water; in a dense forest, vānaprasthas place fruits before a liṅga naturally wrapped by tree roots and creepers (Vṛkṣāvṛta).
FAQs
Śiva is accessible in every āśrama: household and forest life both sanctify simple, locally available offerings through devotion.
No explicit tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes a dharmic pattern of worship rather than a location.
Liṅga-pūjā may be performed with symbolic materials (cow-dust; fruits) suited to one’s station and environment.