Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 89
स्वार्गाय बद्धकक्षो यः पाठमात्रेण ब्राह्मणः । स बालो मातुरंकस्थो ग्रहीतुं सोममिच्छति
svārgāya baddhakakṣo yaḥ pāṭhamātreṇa brāhmaṇaḥ | sa bālo māturaṃkastho grahītuṃ somamicchati
Le brāhmane qui se ceint pour le ciel par la seule récitation est tel un enfant sur les genoux de sa mère, désirant saisir le Soma.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from context)
Scene: A brāhmaṇa with a recitation scroll ties his girdle as if ready for heaven; beside him a small child on a mother’s lap stretches tiny hands toward a radiant Soma vessel guarded by ritual fire and devas.
FAQs
Heavenly attainment demands maturity and practice; mere recitation is an immature ambition, like a child reaching for Soma.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse uses Vedic imagery (Soma) to critique superficial religiosity.
None directly; it implies that higher results require more than reading—namely discipline, purity, and right conduct.