Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57
साक्षाच्च सर्वे मंत्रा वै साक्षाद्यज्ञपुमानसौ । आचार्यपदवीमेष देवाचार्यः स्वयं चरेत् । साक्षाद्ब्रह्मा स्वयं चैष भृगुर्वै कर्मकांडवित्
sākṣācca sarve maṃtrā vai sākṣādyajñapumānasau | ācāryapadavīmeṣa devācāryaḥ svayaṃ caret | sākṣādbrahmā svayaṃ caiṣa bhṛgurvai karmakāṃḍavit
Et tous les mantras doivent être présents en personne ; le Personnage même du Yajña doit se manifester. La charge d’ācārya doit être assumée par le précepteur divin lui-même. Brahmā doit être là en personne, et Bhṛgu aussi, connaisseur du karma-kāṇḍa, la section rituelle.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A cosmic yajña: luminous mantras as personified syllabic beings hover; Yajña-Puruṣa stands radiant; a divine guru officiates; Brahmā and Bhṛgu sit as authoritative witnesses.
FAQs
True ritual legitimacy is extraordinarily rare; it requires flawless mantra, realized yajña-spirit, and unimpeachable priestly authority.
Though not naming a tirtha, the teaching reflects Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s dharmic lens: in Kāśī, inner truth outweighs mere ceremonial display.
An extreme benchmark for yajña: mantras, Yajña-person, divine ācārya, Brahmā, and Bhṛgu should be present in person.