Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28
ततः सुसंयतो भूत्वा प्रणवं समुदीरयन् । कथं न यासि मार्गे त्वं वृथालापो हि दोषभाक्
tataḥ susaṃyato bhūtvā praṇavaṃ samudīrayan | kathaṃ na yāsi mārge tvaṃ vṛthālāpo hi doṣabhāk
Ainsi, te maîtrisant pleinement et proférant le Praṇava (Oṃ), pourquoi ne marches-tu pas sur la voie juste ? Car le bavardage vain porte assurément la faute.
Deducted (contextual): Bhīma advising Yudhiṣṭhira (ethical exhortation concluding the complaint)
Listener: Bhārata (addressed figure)
Scene: A calm teacher-guardian instructs the devotee: sit/stand composed, utter Oṃ, and proceed on the proper path. The background suggests a road or sacred path; idle talk is depicted as scattered speech-scrolls dissolving into dust.
FAQs
Practice self-restraint, align with the dhārmic path, and avoid useless speech that produces दोष (fault).
No tīrtha is named; the verse teaches inner discipline (saṃyama) and sacred utterance (Praṇava).
Uttering the Praṇava (Oṃ) is indicated as a disciplining devotional practice (japa/uccāraṇa).