Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 166
आम्रातकस्य कुसुमं निर्माल्यमिव दृश्यते । अप्रत्यग्रं बहिर्यस्मात्तस्मात्तत्परिवर्जयेत्
āmrātakasya kusumaṃ nirmālyamiva dṛśyate | apratyagraṃ bahiryasmāttasmāttatparivarjayet
Bunga āmrātaka kelihatan seakan-akan nirmālya, yakni sisa persembahan yang telah dibuang; kerana pada zahirnya tidak tampak segar, maka hendaklah ia dijauhi.
Unspecified (contextual narrator in Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A priest examines blossoms before offering at a seaside shrine; an āmrātaka flower is set aside because it looks like nirmālya, while fresh flowers are arranged for the deity.
FAQs
Offerings should be fresh and dignified; what resembles discarded remnants is unfit for divine worship.
The instruction is given in the Arkasthala worship context of Prabhāsakṣetra.
Avoid offering āmrātaka blossoms because they appear outwardly not fresh, like nirmālya.