Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 136
यज्ञैरासाद्यते धूमो नैष्कर्म्येणार्चिराप्यते । एतयोरपरो मार्गः पाखंड इति कीर्त्यते
yajñairāsādyate dhūmo naiṣkarmyeṇārcirāpyate | etayoraparo mārgaḥ pākhaṃḍa iti kīrtyate
以祭祀（yajña）只能到达“烟雾”；以无业之修（naiṣkarmya，不系于业）方能得“火焰”。除此二道之外的路径，皆被宣称为pākhaṇḍa（邪行、异端）。
Deductive: Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context
Scene: A sacrificial altar emits smoke that curls back toward earth; beside it, a meditating ascetic radiates a flame-like aura rising upward. In the background, shadowy figures represent ‘deviant’ paths dissolving into confusion.
FAQs
It distinguishes sanctioned paths—ritual duty and detached discipline—from deviant doctrines labeled pākhaṇḍa.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is primarily a doctrinal clarification within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa.
Yajña (sacrificial rites) is referenced as a recognized path, contrasted with naiṣkarmya (detached discipline).