Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
आरोहयेच्छिरो नैव क्वचिद्धित्वा उपानहौ । यथा स मूढो भवति देवीभक्तिरतस्तथा
ārohayecchiro naiva kvaciddhitvā upānahau | yathā sa mūḍho bhavati devībhaktiratastathā
De même qu’on ne poserait jamais des chaussures sur sa tête en rejetant ce qui convient, de même la dévotion tournée uniquement vers la Déesse (en tant que Prakṛti) devient folie.
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.