Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140
स्वाहांतः प्रणावादिश्च भवेद्विंशाक्षरो मनुः । पूजादानं जपो होमो ऽनेनैव मनुना स्मृतः
svāhāṃtaḥ praṇāvādiśca bhavedviṃśākṣaro manuḥ | pūjādānaṃ japo homo 'nenaiva manunā smṛtaḥ
Le mantra de vingt syllabes commence par le praṇava (Oṁ) et s’achève par svāhā. C’est avec ce mantra même que sont prescrits le culte, le don, le japa et le homa.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī (ritual domain; specific shrine not named)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A priest/devotee seated before a small homa-kuṇḍa near a Kāśī shrine; a palm-leaf manuscript shows the mantra; the praṇava rises as a luminous glyph and ‘svāhā’ seals the oblation flame.
FAQs
Mantra disciplines devotion—right sound-form is presented as the vehicle for multiple ritual acts.
The instruction belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Gaṅgā–Kāśī ritual setting, where such mantra-guided rites are praised.
Use a twenty-syllable mantra (starting with Oṃ and ending with svāhā) for pūjā, dāna, japa, and homa.