Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86
एवमभ्यर्थयंत्यास्तु चांडाल्याः प्रसृतेंऽजलौ । एकः पुण्यतमः पांथः प्राक्षिपद्बिल्वमंजरीम्
evamabhyarthayaṃtyāstu cāṃḍālyāḥ prasṛteṃ'jalau | ekaḥ puṇyatamaḥ pāṃthaḥ prākṣipadbilvamaṃjarīm
Khi người đàn bà Caṇḍāla ấy chắp tay thành añjali mà khẩn cầu, một lữ khách cực kỳ đức hạnh đã ném một chùm hoa bilva vào đôi tay đang đưa ra của nàng.
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.