Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
शूद्रो वा यदि वा विप्रो म्लेछो वा पापकृन्नरः । शिवदीक्षासमोपेतः पुष्पमेकं तु यो न्यसैत्
śūdro vā yadi vā vipro mlecho vā pāpakṛnnaraḥ | śivadīkṣāsamopetaḥ puṣpamekaṃ tu yo nyasait
Ob er Śūdra oder Brāhmaṇa sei, ob mleccha oder gar ein sündiger Mensch—wenn er mit Śivas Dīkṣā versehen ist und im Gottesdienst auch nur eine einzige Blume niederlegt,
Narrator/teacher in the Tīrthamāhātmya (contextual; likely the same voice continuing the instruction)
Type: temple/kshetra
Scene: A diverse group—brahmin, śūdra, foreigner/mleccha figure, and a repentant sinner—stand before a Śiva-liṅga; one places a single flower with trembling devotion; the liṅga radiates acceptance.
FAQs
Śiva-bhakti grounded in dīkṣā sanctifies the devotee; even a small act of worship becomes spiritually potent regardless of social identity or past wrongdoing.
The broader passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; this verse highlights worship-eligibility and merit rather than naming a single tīrtha.
After Śivadīkṣā, the act of offering even one flower in Śiva worship is presented as a meaningful devotional rite.