Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 170
श्रद्धयाभीष्टफलदं चतुर्वर्गसमृद्धिकृत् । सकृज्जपादवाप्नोति ह्येकक्रतुफलंमुने
śraddhayābhīṣṭaphaladaṃ caturvargasamṛddhikṛt | sakṛjjapādavāpnoti hyekakratuphalaṃmune
Ó sábio, este japa, quando realizado com fé, concede os frutos desejados e promove a prosperidade nos quatro objetivos da vida; mesmo recitado uma única vez, alcança-se o mérito equivalente ao de um só rito sacrificial (kratu).
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (implied)
Type: ghat
Listener: A sage (muni)
Scene: A devotee seated on a Kāśī ghāṭa at dawn, hands in japa-mudrā, while subtle yajña-flames and Vedic symbols appear as luminous overlays, indicating ‘kratu-phala’ arising from a single recitation.
FAQs
Faithful japa is portrayed as a powerful dharmic act that can equal the merit of major ritual sacrifice.
The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) and the sanctity of Gaṅgā-centered practice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa.
Japa (recitation) even once, performed with śraddhā, is prescribed as highly meritorious.