Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 27
न मालती न मंदारः शतपत्रं न मल्लिका । तथा प्रियाणि श्रीवृक्षो यथा मदनविद्विषः
na mālatī na maṃdāraḥ śatapatraṃ na mallikā | tathā priyāṇi śrīvṛkṣo yathā madanavidviṣaḥ
Ni la mālatī ni la mandāra, ni le lotus aux cent pétales ni la mallikā : rien n’est aussi cher à l’Ennemi de Madana (Śiva) que le śrīvṛkṣa, l’arbre de bilva.
Prākārakarṇa
Scene: A devotional tableau showing various flowers—mālatī, mandāra, lotus, mallikā—set aside while the bilva branch is honored before a serene Śiva emblem, underscoring bilva’s special status.
FAQs
In devotion, what pleases the deity most is not luxury but the offering especially प्रिय (beloved) to that deity—here, bilva for Śiva.
None; the verse glorifies bilva as a preferred offering in Śiva worship.
Preference is taught for offering bilva (śrīvṛkṣa) to Śiva over other flowers.