Skandapurana 3.3.23.18

3.3.23.18

17 atha bhasmamāhātmyakathanaprasaṃgena śabaravṛttāntavarṇanam tatra pāṃcāladeśīyarājaputrasya
siṃhaketoḥ kadācinmṛgayārthaṃ vane vicarataḥ sāhāyyārthaṃ gatavatā kenacittadanucareṇa śabareṇa vane kasyacitsthaṃḍilasyopari bhinnapiṇḍikaṃ śivaliṅgaṃ dṛṣṭvā tadgṛhītvā
rājaputrasya savidhe gatvā taṃ pratyeva śivaliṅgapūjāvidhijijñāsayā praśnakaraṇam,
tatastena rājaputreṇa taṃ prati parihāsena nityaṃ citābhasmapūrvakopacāraiḥ śivapūjā-
vidhyupadeśakaraṇam, tena śabareṇa ca svagṛhe talliṃgaṃ nītvā bhaktibhāvapūrvakaṃ rāja-
putroktamārgeṇaiva nityaṃ citābhasmānīya śrīśaṃkarasya yathopacāraiḥ pūjākaraṇam, athaikadā tasya śabarasya śivapūjārtha citābhasmano'lābhāccintāturatve sati tasya patnyā śabaryā svabhartāraṃ sāṃtvayitvā nijagṛhaṃ vahninā sandīpya tanmadhye svayaṃ praviśya svaśarīradahanam, tatastena śabareṇa tasya dagdhasvagṛhasya samīpa eva tena nijapatnīdehadahanaṃjanitena jitābhasmanā śrīśaṃkarasya yathāsāṅgapūjāṃ vidhāya pūjāvasānānte śrīśivaprasādagraṇārthaṃ nijapatnyāḥ śabaryāḥ pratidinavadāhvāne kṛte sati
tadānīmeva tatpṛṣṭhe tasyāḥ śabaryāḥ pratidinavadyathāpūrvamāgatya sthitiḥ, tasya gṛhasya ca yathāpūrvaṃ sthitiḥ, tataścakitena tena bhāryayā saha saṃbhāṣaṇe kriyamāṇe divyavimānaprāptiḥ, tadvimānamāruhya tayoḥ śabaradaṃpatyoḥ śivalokaṃ gatvā śivasārūpyamuktiḥ prātiḥ, itthaṃ dṛḍhaśraddhāmāhātmyavarṇanam... ...... 204 2

17. Now, in connection with recounting the greatness of holy ash, the story of the Śabara is described: there, as Siṃhaketu, a prince of the Pāñcāla country, was once wandering in the forest for hunting, a Śabara, his follower who had gone along to assist him, saw a Śivaliṅga with a broken pedestal upon a sacrificial altar in the forest; taking it and approaching the prince, he asked him out of a desire to know the rite of worshipping the Śivaliṅga. Then, as a joke, the prince instructed him in the method of Śiva-worship with daily offerings of cremation ash and the like. That Śabara, having taken the liṅga to his house, devoutly brought cremation ash every day and worshipped the venerable Śaṃkara with the proper offerings according to the method spoken by the prince. Now once, being distressed because he could not obtain cremation ash for the Śiva-worship, his Śabarī wife consoled her husband, ignited their house with fire, and entered into it, burning her own body. Then, near his burnt house, with the cremation ash produced from the burning of his wife's body, the Śabara performed the complete worship of the venerable Śaṃkara; and at the conclusion of the worship, when he called out as usual to his Śabarī wife to receive the prasāda of the venerable Śiva, at that very moment she stood behind him as before, having returned as on every day; and his house too stood as before. Then, as he conversed with his wife in astonishment, a divine aerial chariot arrived; mounting that aerial chariot, the Śabara couple went to the world of Śiva and attained liberation through similarity of form with Śiva. Thus is described the greatness of steadfast faith. [204.2]