Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66
सर्वे सुखाय मे दक्ष वीक्षमाणस्य सर्वतः । एकं दुःखाकरोत्येव यत्त्वं विस्मृतवानसि
sarve sukhāya me dakṣa vīkṣamāṇasya sarvataḥ | ekaṃ duḥkhākarotyeva yattvaṃ vismṛtavānasi
ഹേ ദക്ഷാ! ഞാൻ എല്ലാടവും നോക്കുമ്പോൾ എല്ലാം എന്റെ സുഖത്തിനായെന്നു തോന്നുന്നു; എന്നാൽ ഒരൊന്നേ ദുഃഖം നൽകുന്നു—നീ അതിനെ മറന്നിരിക്കുന്നു।
Dadhīci (addressing Dakṣa)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)
Scene: Dadhīci (or a sage-speaker) addresses Dakṣa amid a splendid sacrificial arena; despite abundance, the sage’s face shows sorrowful gravity, pointing to the missing remembrance of the Lord.
FAQs
Ritual splendor is insufficient if the central divine principle is forgotten; remembrance of Īśvara is the heart of sacred action.
The discourse occurs within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred frame, using a moral-theological lesson rather than direct tīrtha praise in this verse.
A corrective principle: do not conduct yajña as mere ceremony—ensure the intended deity/Īśvara is properly invoked and honored.