Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
त्वं वेत्सि शंकरेणैतत्कर्मजालं न विंदितम् । त्रैलोक्येऽपि मयाऽप्यस्ति गूढं तत्स्यात्कथं विधे । यत्किञ्चित्त्रिषु लोकेषु जंगमं स्थावरं तथा । तस्याहं मध्यगो मूढ तैलं यद्वत्तिलांतगम्
tvaṃ vetsi śaṃkareṇaitatkarmajālaṃ na viṃditam | trailokye'pi mayā'pyasti gūḍhaṃ tatsyātkathaṃ vidhe | yatkiñcittriṣu lokeṣu jaṃgamaṃ sthāvaraṃ tathā | tasyāhaṃ madhyago mūḍha tailaṃ yadvattilāṃtagam
“Ngươi tưởng mình biết, nhưng ngay cả Śaṅkara cũng chưa thấu suốt mạng lưới nghiệp này. Ngay trong tam giới, đối với ta cũng có điều ẩn mật—vậy ta làm sao biết hết, hỡi Vidhātṛ? Bất cứ gì trong ba cõi, động hay tĩnh, ta hiện hữu ở giữa nó, như dầu ẩn trong hạt mè, hỡi kẻ mê lầm.”
Brahmā (addressing Śiva; self-referential cosmological speech within the episode)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contemplative tableau: Śiva speaking to Brahmā (Vidhātṛ), with the universe symbolically shown—moving beings, trees, mountains—while a sesame seed motif illustrates hidden oil, signifying immanence.
FAQs
Karma is subtle and difficult to fully comprehend; the divine presence pervades beings invisibly, like oil within sesame.
The verse is part of the origin-story sequence in Nāgarakhaṇḍa that leads to the sanctification and fame of Rudraśiraḥ tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse is doctrinal, explaining the subtlety of karma and immanence.