Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
या रात्रौ बलिदानेन जाते वृद्धौ ततः परम् । तत्सर्वं जायतां पुण्यं यस्ते मूर्तिं प्रपूजयेत्
yā rātrau balidānena jāte vṛddhau tataḥ param | tatsarvaṃ jāyatāṃ puṇyaṃ yaste mūrtiṃ prapūjayet
Apa jua pertambahan manfaat yang timbul kemudian daripada persembahan bali pada waktu malam—semoga semuanya menjadi pahala suci bagi orang yang memuja arca suci-Mu dengan sempurna menurut dharma.
Śākambharī (continuing her speech)
Type: ghat
Scene: A night-time riverbank shrine: lamps flicker, offerings are placed, and a devotee performs reverent worship before a consecrated Devi image; the sense is of merit ‘growing’ through the rite.
FAQs
Ritual acts performed with devotion are transmuted into puṇya when anchored in reverent worship of the Divine form.
The statement belongs to the Śākambharī-Durgā riverside context (Sarasvatī-taṭa), implying the shrine where the mūrti is worshipped.
Nighttime bali-dāna (ritual offering) and prapūjā (proper worship) of the Devī’s mūrti are referenced.