Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 18
श्रीभगवानुवाच । तुष्टोऽहं भवतो धर्म स्तोत्रेणानेन सुव्रत । वरं वरय धर्मज्ञ यस्ते स्यान्मनसः प्रियः
śrībhagavānuvāca | tuṣṭo'haṃ bhavato dharma stotreṇānena suvrata | varaṃ varaya dharmajña yaste syānmanasaḥ priyaḥ
Der erhabene Herr sprach: „O Dharma, durch diesen Lobgesang bin Ich mit dir zufrieden, o du von vortrefflichem Gelübde. Wähle eine Gabe, o Kenner der Rechtschaffenheit—was immer deinem Herzen lieb ist.“
Śrī Bhagavān (Viṣṇu)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Bhagavān addresses Dharma directly, expressing satisfaction with the hymn and inviting him to choose a boon; Dharma stands humbly, poised to request.
FAQs
Sincere praise grounded in dharma pleases the Lord and ripens into divine grace (vara).
Ayodhyā is the broader sacred setting of the Ayodhyā Māhātmya, though this verse focuses on the Lord’s boon to Dharma.
The practice implied is stotra-stuti (devotional hymn/praise) as an efficacious spiritual act.