Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 10
भवकोटिशतोत्पन्नषुण्यराशिविपाकतः । लभ्यते वा पुनस्तत्र बिल्वपत्रार्चनं विभोः
bhavakoṭiśatotpannaṣuṇyarāśivipākataḥ | labhyate vā punastatra bilvapatrārcanaṃ vibhoḥ
Even after the vast “void” that results from merits and demerits amassed through hundreds of crores of births has come to fruition, only then—within that sacred setting—does one gain the chance to worship the Lord with bilva leaves.
Deductive: Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa (likely Sūta-style narration to sages)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee in a sacred precinct approaches a Śiva-liṅga with a copper vessel and a plate of fresh bilva leaves; the atmosphere suggests the weight of countless births culminating in a single auspicious offering.
FAQs
Access to simple Śiva-worship (bilva-leaf offering) is portrayed as extraordinarily rare—attained only after long karmic maturation.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the praise functions as a general māhātmya within the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa context.
Bilvapatrārcana—offering bilva leaves in worship of the Lord (Śiva), typically to the Śivaliṅga.