Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 152
अथापरे द्युरायातः कितरातः शिवमंदिरम् । यावद्विलोक्यामास लिंगमैशं न दृष्टवान्
athāpare dyurāyātaḥ kitarātaḥ śivamaṃdiram | yāvadvilokyāmāsa liṃgamaiśaṃ na dṛṣṭavān
پھر ایک اور دن کِرات شیو کے مندر آیا؛ جب اس نے ادھر اُدھر نظر دوڑائی تو اسے ایشور کا لِنگ دکھائی نہ دیا۔
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame assumed; not explicit)
Scene: A Kirāta devotee enters the mountain temple on a later day; the sanctum appears strangely empty—no liṅga visible—only lamps, offerings, and a cold hush, as he scans the shrine in disbelief.
FAQs
True devotion is tested when the familiar form of worship seems absent, prompting deeper longing for darśana.
Kedāra-kṣetra and its Śiva temple setting, a focal point of pilgrimage devotion.
No direct prescription; it sets the scene for darśana-seeking and the devotee’s response.