Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14
वसिष्ठ उवाच । न स कश्चित्क्रतुर्येन गम्यते त्रिदिवं नृप । अनेनैव शरीरेण सत्यमेतद्ब्रवीम्यहम्
vasiṣṭha uvāca | na sa kaścitkraturyena gamyate tridivaṃ nṛpa | anenaiva śarīreṇa satyametadbravīmyaham
Vasiṣṭha dit : « Ô roi, il n’est aucun sacrifice par lequel on atteigne le Tridiva (le ciel) avec ce corps même. Je dis cela en vérité. »
Vasiṣṭha
Listener: Triśaṅku (king)
Scene: Sage Vasiṣṭha, calm and authoritative, instructs King Triśaṅku in a hermitage setting, emphasizing truth about sacrifices and bodily ascent to heaven.
FAQs
Ritual has power within dharma’s boundaries; liberation or heavenly attainment is not a mechanical product of sacrifice, especially not as bodily ascent.
No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a doctrinal correction within the narrative that supports the section’s broader māhātmya intent.
A negative prescription: Vasiṣṭha states that no kratu (sacrifice) grants reaching heaven with the physical body.