Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
पैजवन उवाच । श्रीः कथं तुलसीरूपा बिल्ववृक्षे च पार्वती । एतच्च विस्तरेण त्वं मुने तत्त्वं वद प्रभो
paijavana uvāca | śrīḥ kathaṃ tulasīrūpā bilvavṛkṣe ca pārvatī | etacca vistareṇa tvaṃ mune tattvaṃ vada prabho
قال بايجَفَنا: «كيف تحضر شْرِي في صورة التولسي، وكيف تحضر بارفَتِي في شجرة البِلفا؟ أيها المُنيّ، أيها الربّ، فصِّل لي هذه الحقيقة وبيّنها.»
Paijavana
Listener: Paijavana
Scene: King Paijavana respectfully questions sage Gālava in an āśrama; between them are a thriving tulasī plant and a bilva tree, subtly radiating Śrī and Pārvatī’s presence.
FAQs
Sacred plants are not merely symbolic; Purāṇic tradition sees them as embodiments of divine presence worthy of reverence.
The inquiry belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative stream in Nāgara-khaṇḍa.
No direct prescription—this verse initiates a doctrinal explanation that supports tulasī/bilva worship.