Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97
मंत्राः कुंठितसामर्थ्यास्तत्क्षणादेव चाभवन् । अहो महानिष्टतरं किमेतत्समुपस्थितम्
maṃtrāḥ kuṃṭhitasāmarthyāstatkṣaṇādeva cābhavan | aho mahāniṣṭataraṃ kimetatsamupasthitam
அந்தக் கணமே மந்திரங்களின் வல்லமை மங்கியது. அய்யோ! இப்போது எழுந்தது என்ன பெரும் அனர்த்தம்?
Unknown from snippet (likely priests/participants reacting)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Priests mid-chant suddenly falter; lips frozen, rosaries slack; sacred syllables depicted as dimming glyphs; faces show alarm; the yajña space feels ‘hollow’ as if sound is swallowed.
FAQs
Mantra efficacy is tied to cosmic and moral order; when adharma or upheaval occurs, ritual speech itself can lose force.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
No prescription; it reports a ritual failure—mantras becoming ineffective.