Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
यत्रयत्र मनो याति स्वकर्मवशगं मृतौ । अवतारस्तत्रतत्र जायते नात्र संशयः
yatrayatra mano yāti svakarmavaśagaṃ mṛtau | avatārastatratatra jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ
Là où l’esprit se rend à l’heure de la mort, entraîné par la force de ses propres actes, là même naît une incarnation ; il n’y a point de doute.
Narrative voice within Tīrthamāhātmya
Scene: An allegorical scene: a departing soul with a luminous mind-stream moving toward the object of last contemplation; karmic weights depicted as subtle chains or colors guiding direction; multiple possible wombs/realms faintly shown.
FAQs
The mind’s final tendency, shaped by karma, directs the next embodiment—therefore dharmic living and devotion must be cultivated now.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse provides a universal doctrinal principle often used to explain why certain places become linked to divine births and manifestations.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the implied discipline is sustained cultivation of right-mindedness (bhāva) through dharma, devotion, and practice.