Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47
तस्य तन्निष्फलं सर्वमित्युक्तं पाल्यमेव मे । तस्मात्प्रपूजयेन्नित्यं वटस्थां वटयक्षिणीम् । पुष्पैर्धूपैस्तु नैवेद्यैर्मंत्रेणानेन भक्तितः
tasya tanniṣphalaṃ sarvamityuktaṃ pālyameva me | tasmātprapūjayennityaṃ vaṭasthāṃ vaṭayakṣiṇīm | puṣpairdhūpaistu naivedyairmaṃtreṇānena bhaktitaḥ
(Śiva says:) “For him, all of that becomes fruitless”—thus it is declared, and it must be observed by My command. Therefore, one should daily, with devotion, worship the Vaṭayakṣiṇī dwelling in the banyan tree, with flowers, incense, and naivedya (food-offerings), and with this mantra.
Śiva (Hara), quoted within Sūta’s narration
Tirtha: Vaṭasthā Vaṭayakṣiṇī (Sunandā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śiva’s injunction is visualized as a devotee standing before a vast banyan with aerial roots; beneath it sits/stands a luminous yakṣiṇī receiving flowers, incense smoke curling upward, and a small naivedya plate.
FAQs
Devotion must align with prescribed sacred protocol; honoring the local divine guardian form safeguards the fruit of one’s worship.
The banyan-site (vaṭasthā) of Vaṭayakṣiṇī associated with the Siddha-liṅga region is emphasized.
Daily pūjā to Vaṭayakṣiṇī with flowers, incense, and naivedya, accompanied by the stated mantra, as a prerequisite for fruitful Śiva worship.