Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23
सर्वत्र सर्वे हि सुरासुरा भृशं नमंति मां विप्रवराः समुत्सुकाः । कथं ह्यसौ दुर्जनवन्महात्मा भूतादिभिः प्रेतपिशाचयुक्तः । श्मशानवासी निरपत्रपो ह्ययं कथं प्रणामं न करोति मेऽधुना
sarvatra sarve hi surāsurā bhṛśaṃ namaṃti māṃ vipravarāḥ samutsukāḥ | kathaṃ hyasau durjanavanmahātmā bhūtādibhiḥ pretapiśācayuktaḥ | śmaśānavāsī nirapatrapo hyayaṃ kathaṃ praṇāmaṃ na karoti me'dhunā
Partout, tous les dieux et asuras s'inclinent profondément devant moi, ô meilleurs des brahmanes, désireux de m'honorer. Comment se fait-il que cette « grande âme », se comportant comme un homme méchant — accompagné de gobelins, de fantômes et de piśācas, habitant dans les crématoires, sans vergogne — ne s'incline pas maintenant devant moi ?
Dakṣa
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (contextual)
Scene: Dakṣa, enthroned amid sacrificial paraphernalia and assembled brāhmaṇas, complains that the ash-smeared Rudra—surrounded by gaṇas, bhūtas, and piśācas—does not bow; the contrast between polished yajña space and wild cremation-ground aura is central.
FAQs
Spiritual ruin begins with ego and contempt: Dakṣa’s insult of Śiva shows how pride distorts perception of the divine.
No tīrtha is praised directly; the verse describes Śiva’s cremation-ground symbolism within the Naimiṣāraṇya episode.
None; it centers on the expectation of formal salutation (praṇāma) and the offense taken when it is not offered.