Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
वेदारंभे विसर्गे च विदध्यात्प्रणवं सदा । अफलोऽनोंकृतो यस्मात्पठितोपि न सिद्धये
vedāraṃbhe visarge ca vidadhyātpraṇavaṃ sadā | aphalo'noṃkṛto yasmātpaṭhitopi na siddhaye
Au commencement de la récitation védique et à sa conclusion, il faut toujours proférer le Praṇava (Oṃ). Car sans l’énonciation de Oṃ, la récitation demeure sans fruit et ne mène pas à l’accomplissement, fût-elle lue.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A student begins Vedic chanting with Oṃ at sunrise on a Kāśī ghat; the syllable Oṃ is visualized as a luminous glyph above the river, while the teacher signals the conclusion with Oṃ at the end.
FAQs
Mantra practice is not merely textual; correct sacred framing with Oṃ is essential for spiritual efficacy.
Kāśī is the contextual sacred landscape of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse focuses on Vedic method.
Always utter Oṃ (Praṇava) at the beginning and end of Vedic recitation; otherwise the recitation is said to be fruitless.