Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8
एवमुक्तोऽथ देवेन स वणिग्लोभमोहितः । योजयामास बलका लिङ्गे चोत्तममध्यमान्
evamukto'tha devena sa vaṇiglobhamohitaḥ | yojayāmāsa balakā liṅge cottamamadhyamān
Demikian ditegur oleh Dewa, pedagang itu—terpedaya oleh ketamakan—mula meletakkan burung-burung balākā di atas liṅga, menyusunnya pada tempat yang terbaik dan yang pertengahan.
Narrator (Purāṇic voice, likely Sūta/Skanda-context narration)
Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: The merchant, eyes gleaming with greed, begins placing balākā birds onto/around the liṅga, arranging them as if in ranked positions—an odd, mistaken ‘decoration’ that signals delusion.
FAQs
Greed can distort devotion; actions around a Śiva-liṅga should be guided by sincerity rather than profit.
The Devamārga/Balākeśvara setting within Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā-region sacred geography) is being prepared for glorification.
No formal rite is prescribed here; it narrates arranging offerings/ornamentation (balākā) upon the liṅga.