Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25
एकलः सुकृतं भुंक्ते भुंक्ते दुष्कृतमेकलः । देहे पंचत्वमापन्ने त्यक्त्वैकं काष्ठलोष्टवत्
ekalaḥ sukṛtaṃ bhuṃkte bhuṃkte duṣkṛtamekalaḥ | dehe paṃcatvamāpanne tyaktvaikaṃ kāṣṭhaloṣṭavat
انسان اکیلا ہی نیک اعمال کا پھل بھگتتا ہے، اور اکیلا ہی بد اعمال کا انجام سہتا ہے۔ جب بدن پانچ عناصر میں مل جائے تو اسے لکڑی کے ٹکڑے یا مٹی کے ڈھیلے کی طرح چھوڑ دیا جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally framed within Sūta’s discourse in Purāṇic setting)
Scene: A solitary traveler-soul stands beside a fallen body on the ground; the body is shown as inert like a log and a clod, while subtle light (jīva) moves onward under the gaze of Dharma.
FAQs
Karma is inescapably personal: merit and sin ripen for the individual, while the body is ultimately discarded—so cultivate dharma now.
No tīrtha is named; the verse provides the philosophical backbone for why pilgrimage and vows should be pursued earnestly.
No direct rite is mentioned; the implied prescription is ethical and spiritual practice that generates sukṛta and avoids duṣkṛta.