Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25
एकलः सुकृतं भुंक्ते भुंक्ते दुष्कृतमेकलः । देहे पंचत्वमापन्ने त्यक्त्वैकं काष्ठलोष्टवत्
ekalaḥ sukṛtaṃ bhuṃkte bhuṃkte duṣkṛtamekalaḥ | dehe paṃcatvamāpanne tyaktvaikaṃ kāṣṭhaloṣṭavat
Seul on goûte le fruit des bonnes actions ; seul on subit le fruit des mauvaises. Quand le corps retourne à l’état des cinq éléments, on le délaisse comme un morceau de bois ou une motte de terre.
Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally framed within Sūta’s discourse in Purāṇic setting)
Scene: A solitary traveler-soul stands beside a fallen body on the ground; the body is shown as inert like a log and a clod, while subtle light (jīva) moves onward under the gaze of Dharma.
FAQs
Karma is inescapably personal: merit and sin ripen for the individual, while the body is ultimately discarded—so cultivate dharma now.
No tīrtha is named; the verse provides the philosophical backbone for why pilgrimage and vows should be pursued earnestly.
No direct rite is mentioned; the implied prescription is ethical and spiritual practice that generates sukṛta and avoids duṣkṛta.