Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97
मंत्राः कुंठितसामर्थ्यास्तत्क्षणादेव चाभवन् । अहो महानिष्टतरं किमेतत्समुपस्थितम्
maṃtrāḥ kuṃṭhitasāmarthyāstatkṣaṇādeva cābhavan | aho mahāniṣṭataraṃ kimetatsamupasthitam
সেই মুহূর্তেই মন্ত্রগুলির শক্তি ভোঁতা হয়ে গেল। হায়! এ কী ভয়ংকর অমঙ্গল এখন উপস্থিত হল?
Unknown from snippet (likely priests/participants reacting)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Priests mid-chant suddenly falter; lips frozen, rosaries slack; sacred syllables depicted as dimming glyphs; faces show alarm; the yajña space feels ‘hollow’ as if sound is swallowed.
FAQs
Mantra efficacy is tied to cosmic and moral order; when adharma or upheaval occurs, ritual speech itself can lose force.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
No prescription; it reports a ritual failure—mantras becoming ineffective.