Within the Śaiva Purāṇic tradition, these three texts can be seen as offering complementary angles on the same sacred reality. The Śiva Purāṇa presents a broad and relatively comprehensive vision of Śiva: it narrates his manifestations, marriages, and cosmic activities, dwells on the relationship with Pārvatī and their sons, and sets forth philosophical reflections on Śiva as the supreme Brahman and ultimate reality. Alongside mythology and cosmogony, it gives practical guidance on devotion, including forms of worship, vows, and rituals centered on Śiva. Its tone is strongly bhakti-oriented, seeking to draw the devotee into an intimate, loving relationship with the Lord while affirming his status as the source of creation.

The Liṅga Purāṇa, by contrast, narrows the lens to focus on the liṅga as the primary symbol of Śiva. It treats the liṅga as the aniconic representation of the formless Lord and explores its origin, significance, and cosmic symbolism. Rather than offering as many narrative episodes, it leans toward ritual and symbolism: the establishment, consecration, and worship of various liṅgas, and the connection of this worship with Śiva’s creative and destructive energies. In this way, it functions as a kind of theological and ritual commentary on what it means to approach the transcendent through a single, powerful emblem.

The Skanda Purāṇa stands apart in scope and texture. It is regarded as the largest of the Purāṇas and is primarily associated with Skanda (Kārttikeya), the son of Śiva, while still glorifying Śiva himself. Its pages are filled with descriptions of sacred places, temples, and regional traditions, along with the legends that sanctify those landscapes. Pilgrimage (tīrtha-yātrā) is at its heart: the text maps a sacred geography, detailing the spiritual benefits of visiting holy sites and preserving a wealth of local stories and practices. Where the Śiva Purāṇa offers a more unified theological portrait of the Lord, and the Liṅga Purāṇa concentrates on a single symbol and its worship, the Skanda Purāṇa diffuses Śiva’s presence across the land, embedding his grace in the very rivers, mountains, and shrines of the world.