Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5
शोच्यं पातकिनं मां च संस्तुवध्वं कथं सुराः । पंचानामपि यो भर्ता प्राकृतोऽसौ न कीर्त्यते
śocyaṃ pātakinaṃ māṃ ca saṃstuvadhvaṃ kathaṃ surāḥ | paṃcānāmapi yo bhartā prākṛto'sau na kīrtyate
“হে সুরগণ, শোকযোগ্য পাপী আমাকে তোমরা কীভাবে স্তব করো? পাঁচের (ইন্দ্রিয়ের) অধিপতিও যদি প্রাকৃত-সাংসারিক হয়ে যায়, তবে সে কীর্তিত হওয়ার যোগ্য নয়।”
Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya) (deduced: the 'great-souled one' addressing devas)
Listener: Devas (addressed); Pārtha (addressed by narrator)
Scene: Skanda speaks with calm severity, pointing inward (toward the heart) as devas stand with folded hands, their praise transformed into attentive listening.
FAQs
Praise is secondary to purity: self-mastery and dharmic intention matter more than external victory or acclaim.
No holy site is referenced in this verse.
None directly; the verse sets up the need for prāyaścitta (atonement) and ethical reflection.