Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34
वेदेषूपनिषद्रूपा मंत्राणां प्रणवोह्यसि । अक्षराणामकारोसि यज्वनां सोमरूपधृक्
vedeṣūpaniṣadrūpā maṃtrāṇāṃ praṇavohyasi | akṣarāṇāmakārosi yajvanāṃ somarūpadhṛk
வேதங்களில் நீ உபநிஷத்-சொரூபம்; மந்திரங்களில் நீ பிரணவம் ‘ஓம்’. எழுத்துகளில் நீ ‘அ’; யாகம் செய்பவர்களுக்கு நீ சோம ரூபம் தரிப்பவன்.
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa default dialogue frame)
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A scholastic-sacrificial synthesis: a sage in Kāśī recites Upaniṣadic lines; the Praṇava ‘Oṃ’ appears as a luminous glyph; the letter ‘A’ radiates at the base of a phonemic mandala; Soma appears as a moon/nectar vessel above a yajña fire, linking knowledge and ritual.
FAQs
The Divine is the inner essence of revelation (Upaniṣads), mantra (Oṃ), language (A-kāra), and sacrificial sanctity (Soma).
No site is named in this verse; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa it supports Kāśī’s identity as a preeminent place for mantra, jñāna, and mokṣa-oriented practice.
No direct prescription; it references yajña culture via Soma and points to Praṇava-japa (Oṃ) as an implied devotional focus.