Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
यथा तिलेस्थितं तैलं दधिसंस्थं यथा घृतम् । हविर्भुजश्च काष्ठस्थः सुगुप्तं लभ्यते न हि
yathā tilesthitaṃ tailaṃ dadhisaṃsthaṃ yathā ghṛtam | havirbhujaśca kāṣṭhasthaḥ suguptaṃ labhyate na hi
كما أن الزيتَ كامنٌ في حبّ السمسم، وكما أن السمنَ الصافي قائمٌ في اللبنِ المخثّر؛ وكما أن النارَ—آكلةَ القرابين—تقيم مستترةً في الخشب؛ كذلك ما كان عميقَ الخفاء لا يُنال ما لم يُستخرج ويُظهَر.
Deductive: A devotee/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya recitation (speaker not explicit in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (implied continuation of address)
Scene: Triptych-like imagery: sesame seeds pressed to yield oil; curd being churned to reveal ghee; a sage kindling fire from wood—symbolizing the extraction of the subtle from the gross through effort and method.
FAQs
The Divine presence is subtle and concealed; realization requires purposeful practice, like extracting oil, churning ghee, or kindling fire.
No tīrtha is named; the verse gives a general teaching supporting the chapter’s devotional context.
It indirectly points to disciplined effort (sādhana) and ritual action (kindling Agni) as means to reveal what is hidden.