Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 82
चतुर्द्दशी तथा शंभोः प्रिया नास्त्यत्र संशयः । निशीथसंयुता या तु कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्द्दशी । उपोष्या सा तिथिः श्रेष्ठा शिवसायुज्यकारिणी
caturddaśī tathā śaṃbhoḥ priyā nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ | niśīthasaṃyutā yā tu kṛṣṇapakṣe caturddaśī | upoṣyā sā tithiḥ śreṣṭhā śivasāyujyakāriṇī
Tithi Caturdaśī cũng vậy, thật là tithi được Śambhu (Śiva) yêu quý—không hề nghi ngờ. Nhưng Caturdaśī trong nửa tháng tối, khi hợp với lúc nửa đêm, phải được giữ chay (upavāsa); tithi ấy là tối thượng, ban cho sự hợp nhất với Śiva.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Śivarātri (niśītha-yuktā Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī) in Kedāra context
Type: kshetra
Scene: Midnight in a Himalayan shrine: devotees fasting, lamps flickering, offering bilva leaves to a liṅga; the moon is dark, stars sharp; Śiva’s presence felt as a luminous stillness; a clock-like niśītha moment emphasized.
FAQs
Focused austerity on Śiva’s most beloved night leads toward liberation-oriented intimacy with Śiva (śiva-sāyujya).
The Kedāra-kṣetra milieu underlies the instruction, though the verse is primarily about Śiva’s sacred tithi rather than a single location.
Fast (upoṣa) on the dark-fortnight Caturdaśī that coincides with midnight (niśītha), a foremost Śaiva observance.
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