Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 196
भस्मनो यदि वृक्षत्वं ज्ञायते नीरसेवनात् । शिवभक्तिविहीनस्य ततोऽस्य फलमुच्यते
bhasmano yadi vṛkṣatvaṃ jñāyate nīrasevanāt | śivabhaktivihīnasya tato'sya phalamucyate
जर पाणी घातल्याने भस्मालाही वृक्षत्व येते असे मानले, तरी शिवभक्तिविहीन मनुष्याचे फळ तदनुसारच—निष्फळ—असे सांगितले आहे।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A symbolic scene: a person pours water onto a heap of ash; nothing sprouts. In contrast, beside it a small bilva sapling thrives near a Śiva-liṅga, indicating bhakti as the living seed.
FAQs
Without Śiva-bhakti, spiritual effort becomes barren—devotion is presented as the indispensable cause of meaningful results.
No tīrtha is specified; the verse is a general doctrinal statement within the chapter.
No specific rite; it emphasizes cultivating devotion rather than relying on external acts alone.