Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24
स एवं चिन्तयामास वेदवेदांगपारगः । मानसं यज्ञमारभ्य तत्रैव वरवर्णिनि
sa evaṃ cintayāmāsa vedavedāṃgapāragaḥ | mānasaṃ yajñamārabhya tatraiva varavarṇini
இவ்வாறு வேதமும் வேதாங்கங்களும் நன்கு அறிந்த அந்தப் பிராமணன் உள்ளத்தில் சிந்தித்தான்; அங்கேயே, ஓ அழகிய நிறமுடையவளே, மனத்தால் யாகத்தைத் தொடங்கினான்।
Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from surrounding verses in this adhyāya)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: A 'varavarṇinī' (fair-complexioned lady) is directly addressed in the verse; broader audience is the listening assembly
Scene: A Veda- and Vedāṅga-versed brāhmaṇa, trapped or stationed in a well, begins a mental yajña—an inner altar formed by concentration—while addressing context includes a woman interlocutor in the narration.
FAQs
Even without external resources, sincere inner worship—performed as a mental yajña—has real spiritual efficacy when grounded in Vedic understanding and faith.
Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.
The commencement of a mānasa-yajña (mental sacrifice), emphasizing intention and devotion as a valid form of worship.