Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7
श्रीमहादेव उवाच । परितुष्टोऽस्मि ते विप्र भक्त्या तव द्विजोत्तम । वरं वरय भद्रं ते यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्
śrīmahādeva uvāca | parituṣṭo'smi te vipra bhaktyā tava dvijottama | varaṃ varaya bhadraṃ te yadyapi syātsudurlabham
Śrī Mahādeva phán: “Hỡi brāhmaṇa, bậc tối thắng trong hàng nhị sinh, Ta hoàn toàn hoan hỷ trước lòng bhakti của ngươi. Hãy xin một ân huệ—nguyện điều cát tường đến với ngươi—dẫu cho ân ấy cực kỳ khó được.”
Śiva (Mahādeva)
Tirtha: Arbuda vara-sthāna (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: A brāhmaṇa devotee (Śukra in the immediate narrative)
Scene: Śiva stands before the brāhmaṇa devotee, right hand in boon-giving gesture (varada-mudrā); the devotee stands with folded hands; the cave-shrine and liṅga remain nearby, incense smoke lingering.
FAQs
Bhakti is presented as the highest force that compels divine grace and makes even the rare attainable.
The Arbuda-khaṇḍa sacred setting is implied as a powerful arena for tapas and bhakti that leads to Śiva’s direct boon.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes devotion as the qualifying discipline for receiving a boon.