Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56
कर्तव्यश्चेत्तदाकार्यः स्याच्चेत्संपत्ति रीदृशी । साक्षादग्निः स्वयं कुंडे साक्षादिंद्रादिदेवताः
kartavyaścettadākāryaḥ syāccetsaṃpatti rīdṛśī | sākṣādagniḥ svayaṃ kuṃḍe sākṣādiṃdrādidevatāḥ
S’il faut l’accomplir, qu’on ne l’accomplisse que si de telles réussites extraordinaires sont présentes : Agni lui-même manifesté dans le foyer, et Indra ainsi que les autres divinités présents en personne.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A blazing yajña-kuṇḍa where Agni rises as a personified deity; Indra and devas appear around the altar, confirming the rite’s perfection—an otherworldly vision set against Kāśī’s sacred horizon.
FAQs
A sacrifice is truly justified only when performed with exceptional purity and divine alignment, not merely with materials and show.
The verse belongs to Kāśī’s doctrinal setting (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), where dharma is evaluated by inner truth rather than outward display.
A conditional standard for yajña: it is proper only with extraordinary signs—Agni and the devas as direct witnesses.