Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47
अश्रद्धां चैव दुर्मेधामविद्यायाः सुते उभे । श्रद्धामेधाविघातिन्यौ मर्त्येषु पर्यचोदयत्
aśraddhāṃ caiva durmedhāmavidyāyāḥ sute ubhe | śraddhāmedhāvighātinyau martyeṣu paryacodayat
તેણે અવಿದ್ಯાની બે પુત્રીઓ—અશ્રદ્ધા અને દુર્મેધા—ને મર્ત્યલોકમાં મોકલ્યાં; તેઓ મનુષ્યોની શ્રદ્ધા અને સદ્બુદ્ધિનો નાશ કરે છે।
Purāṇic narrator (Brahmā’s action described)
Scene: Two shadowy feminine figures—Aśraddhā and Durmedhā—emerge from Avidyā and move among humans, dimming their devotion and clouding their intellect; japa beads slip from hands, sacred texts close.
FAQs
Faith (śraddhā) and clear understanding (medhā) are essential for spiritual practice; their loss becomes a principal obstacle.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is an allegorical explanation of spiritual obstruction.
Implicitly, it warns that japa requires śraddhā and medhā; without them, practice is undermined.