Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56
यथायथा द्विजास्तत्र होमं कुर्वंति पावके । तथा सर्वे विशेषेण रोगा वर्धंति सर्वशः
yathāyathā dvijāstatra homaṃ kurvaṃti pāvake | tathā sarve viśeṣeṇa rogā vardhaṃti sarvaśaḥ
Namun tatkala para dvija (brahmana) di sana melakukan homa, mempersembahkan oblation ke dalam api suci, demikian pula segala penyakit meningkat dengan lebih hebat—di mana-mana dan dalam segala cara.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)
Tirtha: Satpura (implied locus of homa)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Priests pour ghee into a blazing fire; instead of relief, dark vapors and ominous signs rise, while messengers report worsening sickness across the land.
FAQs
Ritual without removing the underlying cause (adharma, curse, or wrong procedure) may not yield peace; discernment is required alongside rites.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets a crisis that later points toward a sacred remedy in the māhātmya.
Homa in the sacred fire is mentioned, though the verse emphasizes its paradoxical ineffectiveness in this situation.