Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 62
कालभीतिरुवाच । सर्वभूतेषु चेदेवं शिव एवेति चोच्यते । नास्तिकां मृत्तिका कस्माद्भक्षयंति नभस्यके
kālabhītiruvāca | sarvabhūteṣu cedevaṃ śiva eveti cocyate | nāstikāṃ mṛttikā kasmādbhakṣayaṃti nabhasyake
Kālabhīti nói: Nếu người ta tuyên rằng trong mọi loài chỉ có Śiva mà thôi, vậy vì sao đất sét vào tháng Nabhasya (Bhādrapada) lại ‘nuốt’ (tức làm hại) kẻ vô tín?
Kālabhīti
Scene: A questioning devotee (Kālabhīti) stands before a serene Śaiva teacher in an āśrama; monsoon clouds suggest Bhādrapada. A clay bank/earth (mṛttikā) is shown as symbolically ‘consuming’ a skeptic, while Śiva’s all-pervading presence is hinted as a subtle aura in all beings.
FAQs
It raises a classic theological tension: if Śiva pervades all, how do karmic and ritual distinctions (pure/impure, believer/unbeliever) operate?
No tīrtha is named; the verse references a calendrical context (Nabhasya/Bhādrapada) rather than sacred geography.
Implicitly references month-based observances involving clay/earth (mṛttikā) in Nabhasya, but no explicit injunction is stated in this verse.