Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31
आदावनाराध्य भवंतमत्र यो मां भजिष्यत्यपि भक्तियुक्तः । समीहितं तस्य न सेत्स्यति ध्रुवं परात्परान्मेंबुज चक्रपाणे
ādāvanārādhya bhavaṃtamatra yo māṃ bhajiṣyatyapi bhaktiyuktaḥ | samīhitaṃ tasya na setsyati dhruvaṃ parātparānmeṃbuja cakrapāṇe
Wahai Tuhan pemegang teratai dan cakra, Yang Mahatinggi di atas segala yang tinggi: siapa pun di sini, tanpa terlebih dahulu memuja-Mu, lalu memuja-Ku—meski dengan bhakti—niscaya maksud yang diinginkannya tidak akan berhasil.
Śiva (addressing Viṣṇu)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Ānandavana (context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śiva instructs Viṣṇu with affectionate authority: in this sacred place, devotees must first worship Viṣṇu before worshipping Śiva for their aims to succeed; the scene feels didactic yet tender.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma emphasizes right orientation: devotion bears fruit when aligned with the proper divine order and intent.
The teaching is situated in Kāśī’s sacred domain, presenting it as a place of precise devotional discipline and high spiritual stakes.
An implicit prescription: worship/propitiate Viṣṇu first (ādau ārādhana) before other forms of worship in this context.