Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
शूद्रो वा यदि वा विप्रो म्लेछो वा पापकृन्नरः । शिवदीक्षासमोपेतः पुष्पमेकं तु यो न्यसैत्
śūdro vā yadi vā vipro mlecho vā pāpakṛnnaraḥ | śivadīkṣāsamopetaḥ puṣpamekaṃ tu yo nyasait
तो शूद्र असो वा ब्राह्मण, म्लेच्छ असो वा पापकर्मी नर—शिवदीक्षायुक्त होऊन जो पूजेत एकच पुष्प अर्पण करतो,
Narrator/teacher in the Tīrthamāhātmya (contextual; likely the same voice continuing the instruction)
Type: temple/kshetra
Scene: A diverse group—brahmin, śūdra, foreigner/mleccha figure, and a repentant sinner—stand before a Śiva-liṅga; one places a single flower with trembling devotion; the liṅga radiates acceptance.
FAQs
Śiva-bhakti grounded in dīkṣā sanctifies the devotee; even a small act of worship becomes spiritually potent regardless of social identity or past wrongdoing.
The broader passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; this verse highlights worship-eligibility and merit rather than naming a single tīrtha.
After Śivadīkṣā, the act of offering even one flower in Śiva worship is presented as a meaningful devotional rite.