Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36
यथा काक यवाः प्रोक्ता यथारण्यास्तिलोद्भवाः । नाममात्रप्रसिद्धाश्च तथा ते मानवा भुवि
yathā kāka yavāḥ proktā yathāraṇyāstilodbhavāḥ | nāmamātraprasiddhāśca tathā te mānavā bhuvi
Wie man vom „Krähen-Gerstenkorn“ spricht und wie vom wilden Sesam, der im Wald wächst — nur dem Namen nach bekannt —, so sind auch solche Menschen in dieser Welt: bloß namensberühmt, ohne wahre Substanz.
Skanda (deduced)
Scene: Symbolic tableau: a heap of poor ‘crow-barley’ and wild sesame in a forest clearing, juxtaposed with a shining heap of true grain; behind, human figures labeled by fame vs virtue.
FAQs
Without real practice, a person’s ‘religious identity’ becomes mere reputation—name without inner transformation.
No specific site is invoked; it is a moral illustration within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it reinforces the necessity of genuine niyama rather than empty formalism.