Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10
नष्टौषधिरसे लोके युक्तमेतद्धि सांप्रतम् । यादृगाप्तं हविस्तादृगग्निभक्षो विशिष्यते
naṣṭauṣadhirase loke yuktametaddhi sāṃpratam | yādṛgāptaṃ havistādṛgagnibhakṣo viśiṣyate
À présent, dans un monde où s’est évanouie l’essence des herbes guérisseuses, cela paraît vraiment convenable : telle est l’oblation (havis) obtenue, tel devient aussi, à l’avenant, ce qu’Agni consume, plus éminent.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa; precise speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Scene: An allegorical tableau: withered medicinal plants and dry earth symbolize rasa-kṣaya; Agni’s flame reflects the nature of the offering—pure offerings yield bright steady flame, impure yield turbulent smoke—set against a dim Kali-yuga sky.
FAQs
The purity of offerings mirrors the moral and ecological state of the world; diminished sattva in nature yields diminished sanctity in ritual exchange.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse offers a general dhārmic reflection within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative.
Implicitly emphasizes the quality of havis (oblations), but gives no step-by-step rite.