Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63
पूर्वं भक्त्या विहीनस्य शुना वै सक्तवो हृताः । तत्प्रभावादियं प्राप्तिर्मम जाता द्विजोत्तमाः
pūrvaṃ bhaktyā vihīnasya śunā vai saktavo hṛtāḥ | tatprabhāvādiyaṃ prāptirmama jātā dvijottamāḥ
పూర్వం నేను భక్తి లేనివాడినై ఉండగా, ఒక కుక్క నా సక్తు (నైవేద్యాన్ని) దొంగిలించింది; ఆ కార్యప్రభావంతోనే, ఓ ద్విజోత్తములారా, నాకు ఈ సిద్ధి కలిగింది।
Unspecified devotee/narrated character (within Pulastya’s narration)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijottamas (learned Brahmins/sages)
Scene: A repentant donor recalls a past moment: a dog snatches away a saktu offering; the scene juxtaposes the humble act and the unexpected spiritual ‘attainment’ that later arises from it.
FAQs
Even when devotion is weak, a meritorious act connected to charity and a sacred context can still yield spiritual attainment.
The passage belongs to the Arbuda-region narration within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa; the tīrtha context is continued in the following verses.
A dāna involving saktu (parched flour) is implied; its efficacy is highlighted even when the offering is disrupted.