Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18
न देवो विद्यते काष्ठे पाषाणे मृत्तिकासु च । भावेषु विद्यते देवो मन्त्रसंयोगसंयुतः
na devo vidyate kāṣṭhe pāṣāṇe mṛttikāsu ca | bhāveṣu vidyate devo mantrasaṃyogasaṃyutaḥ
«La divinité n’est pas, par elle-même, dans le bois, la pierre ou l’argile. La divinité demeure dans l’élan intérieur empli de dévotion, conjoint à la juste union du mantra.»
The sage (muni)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A didactic tableau: wood, stone, clay icons shown as inert materials on one side; on the other, a radiant deity manifesting from the devotee’s heart and mantra syllables, illustrating presence through bhāva-mantra union.
FAQs
True worship depends on bhāva (inner devotion) and mantra (sacred invocation), not merely on the material of the icon.
No specific tīrtha is named; the teaching supports tīrtha-rituals by clarifying how sacred presence is established.
Mantra-saṃyoga—invoking/establishing the deity through mantra alongside devotional intent—is emphasized.