Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26
यथा काष्ठमयो हस्ती यथा चर्ममयो मृगः । कार्यार्थं नैव सिध्येत तथा कर्म ह्यमन्त्रकम्
yathā kāṣṭhamayo hastī yathā carmamayo mṛgaḥ | kāryārthaṃ naiva sidhyeta tathā karma hyamantrakam
De même qu’un éléphant de bois, ou un cerf fait de cuir, ne peut accomplir une fin réelle, de même une action sans mantra n’aboutit pas véritablement.
Skanda (deduced)
Listener: Rājendra
Scene: Two contrasting vignettes: a carved wooden elephant and a leather deer shown as lifeless props; beside them, a living elephant and deer in motion. A worshipper with mantra-japa is contrasted with a silent, distracted performer.
FAQs
Outer form without the inner empowering principle (mantra) is compared to lifeless imitation—unable to yield real results.
The instruction appears in the Revā Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha discourse, though the analogy is universal.
Ensure rites and religious actions are performed with mantra; otherwise they are deemed ineffective.