Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44
अपूज्या यत्र पूज्यंते पूजनीयो न पूज्यते । त्रीणी तत्र प्रवर्तंते दुर्भिक्षं त्वया धर्ममजानताः । ईश्वरावज्ञया सर्वं विफलं च भविष्यति
apūjyā yatra pūjyaṃte pūjanīyo na pūjyate | trīṇī tatra pravartaṃte durbhikṣaṃ tvayā dharmamajānatāḥ | īśvarāvajñayā sarvaṃ viphalaṃ ca bhaviṣyati
„Wo Unwürdige geehrt werden und der wahrhaft Würdige keine Ehre empfängt, dort treten drei Übel hervor: Hungersnot und Verderben, weil du das Dharma nicht kennst. Durch Verachtung des Herrn wird alles fruchtlos werden.“
Viṣṇu (admonishing Dakṣa; inferred from immediate context)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (typical frame)
Scene: A didactic court-like scene: Viṣṇu (or a divine counselor) admonishes about inverted honor; in the background, signs of drought/famine and withering fields symbolize the three evils; a distant Kedāra peak and a Śiva-liṅga indicate the sacred setting.
FAQs
Reversing values—honoring the unworthy and neglecting the truly worthy—destroys dharma and makes all religious effort barren.
The teaching is situated in Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Kedāra milieu, reinforcing reverence to the Lord central to Kedāra (Śiva).
The implied prescription is proper pūjā: honor the pūjanīya (especially the Lord) to ensure rituals and merits bear fruit.