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
Karena itu, dengan mengekang diri dengan baik dan melafalkan Praṇava ‘Oṃ’, mengapa engkau tidak menempuh jalan yang benar? Sebab omong kosong sungguh menjadi pembawa cela.
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).