Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18
न देवो विद्यते काष्ठे पाषाणे मृत्तिकासु च । भावेषु विद्यते देवो मन्त्रसंयोगसंयुतः
na devo vidyate kāṣṭhe pāṣāṇe mṛttikāsu ca | bhāveṣu vidyate devo mantrasaṃyogasaṃyutaḥ
„Die Gottheit ist nicht von Natur aus in Holz, Stein oder Ton gegenwärtig. Die Gottheit ist in der von Hingabe erfüllten inneren Haltung gegenwärtig, verbunden mit der rechten Vereinigung des Mantras.“
The sage (muni)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A didactic tableau: wood, stone, clay icons shown as inert materials on one side; on the other, a radiant deity manifesting from the devotee’s heart and mantra syllables, illustrating presence through bhāva-mantra union.
FAQs
True worship depends on bhāva (inner devotion) and mantra (sacred invocation), not merely on the material of the icon.
No specific tīrtha is named; the teaching supports tīrtha-rituals by clarifying how sacred presence is established.
Mantra-saṃyoga—invoking/establishing the deity through mantra alongside devotional intent—is emphasized.