Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86
एवमभ्यर्थयंत्यास्तु चांडाल्याः प्रसृतेंऽजलौ । एकः पुण्यतमः पांथः प्राक्षिपद्बिल्वमंजरीम्
evamabhyarthayaṃtyāstu cāṃḍālyāḥ prasṛteṃ'jalau | ekaḥ puṇyatamaḥ pāṃthaḥ prākṣipadbilvamaṃjarīm
Tatkala wanita Caṇḍāla itu merayu dengan tangan menadah dalam añjali, seorang pengembara yang amat suci telah mencampakkan seuntai bunga bilva ke dalam tapak tangannya yang terhulur.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Type: temple
Scene: A weary traveler pauses as a Caṇḍāla woman begs with cupped hands; he gently tosses a fresh bilva-blossom cluster into her palms, foreshadowing its destined contact with a Śiva-liṅga.
FAQs
Even a small, seemingly ordinary act can become a cause of great merit when it becomes connected to devotion and dharma.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the passage builds toward the glory of Śiva-worship (especially bilva-offering) and Śivarātri.
The verse introduces bilva flowers, a classic offering for Śiva, which becomes central to the later Śivarātri context.