Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
आरोहयेच्छिरो नैव क्वचिद्धित्वा उपानहौ । यथा स मूढो भवति देवीभक्तिरतस्तथा
ārohayecchiro naiva kvaciddhitvā upānahau | yathā sa mūḍho bhavati devībhaktiratastathā
Just as one would never put shoes upon one’s head, casting aside what is proper—so too, in that very way, devotion directed only to the Goddess (as Prakṛti) becomes folly.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: A didactic tableau: a foolish person tries to place shoes on the head while the guru points out the absurdity; parallel vignette shows a devotee worshipping Prakṛti alone while ignoring the supreme deity.
FAQs
Devotion must be guided by right understanding and proper hierarchy of the divine; misplaced worship born of delusion is compared to reversing what is fitting.
No tīrtha is described; the verse uses an ethical analogy.
No explicit rite is prescribed; it comments on the correctness of devotional orientation.