Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7
शंभुना हि विना तात कथं यज्ञः प्रवर्तते । एते कथं समायाता ब्रह्मणा सहिताः पितः
śaṃbhunā hi vinā tāta kathaṃ yajñaḥ pravartate | ete kathaṃ samāyātā brahmaṇā sahitāḥ pitaḥ
“Thưa phụ thân, không có Śambhu thì làm sao Hy tế có thể khởi hành? Và thưa cha, các vị thần này đã đến đây thế nào, lại còn cùng với Brahmā?”
Devī (deduced continuation; addressing ‘tāta’ and ‘pitaḥ’ within a familial dialogue)
Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages; within verse the Goddess addresses her father/elder and the yajña host
Scene: The Goddess addresses her father/elder (tāta/pitaḥ) amid a grand assembly: devas seated in splendor, Brahmā with four faces present; the empty seat/absence of Śiva is conspicuous, creating tension.
FAQs
Śiva is the indispensable foundation of sacred action; excluding him disrupts both ritual efficacy and cosmic order.
Kedārakhaṇḍa’s broader aim is Kedāra Mahātmya; this verse builds the doctrinal basis for Śiva-centered pilgrimage and worship.
Implied: ensure Śiva’s invocation and honor as prerequisite for yajña to be valid and fruitful.