Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
तव पूजा विहीनानां दिनान्यायांति यांति च । यानि देव मृतानां च तानि यांति न जीवताम्
tava pūjā vihīnānāṃ dinānyāyāṃti yāṃti ca | yāni deva mṛtānāṃ ca tāni yāṃti na jīvatām
أمّا من خلا من عبادتك، فإن أيامه لا تعدو أن تأتي وتمضي—يا ديفا، كأيام الأموات؛ فتلك «الأيام» ليست حقًّا من نصيب الأحياء.
Narrative voice within the Māhātmya (speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Split-scene contrast: on one side, a person neglects worship as days slip by like shadows; on the other, a devotee lights a lamp before Śiva, transforming the same time into luminous, meaningful life.
FAQs
A life without devotion and worship is spiritually barren, equated to lifelessness.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-centered discourse of the chapter.
Regular pūjā (worship) is implied as essential devotional practice.