Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 66
मिथ्याप्रसादितो वाक्यमाकर्णयति यः शनैः । चपलश्चापिमायावी शठो मिथ्याविनीतकः
mithyāprasādito vākyamākarṇayati yaḥ śanaiḥ | capalaścāpimāyāvī śaṭho mithyāvinītakaḥ
He who is swayed by false flattery and listens to counsel only sluggishly; who is fickle, deceitful, a knave, and merely pretends to humility—such a person is censured by the wise as unfit for a dharmic life.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative convention
Scene: A council-like setting: a self-satisfied man leans toward flattering courtiers while a calm sage points to a dharma-śāstra palm-leaf; the hypocrite’s folded hands are shown as theatrical, contrasted with the sage’s steady gaze.
FAQs
True vinaya (humility) and honest discernment are dharmic; hypocrisy, fickleness, and being swayed by flattery lead one away from righteousness.
No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.
None; the verse focuses on inner character and discernment.