Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 89
स्वार्गाय बद्धकक्षो यः पाठमात्रेण ब्राह्मणः । स बालो मातुरंकस्थो ग्रहीतुं सोममिच्छति
svārgāya baddhakakṣo yaḥ pāṭhamātreṇa brāhmaṇaḥ | sa bālo māturaṃkastho grahītuṃ somamicchati
വെറും പാഠമാത്രം കൊണ്ടു സ്വർഗ്ഗം നേടാൻ കെട്ടിപ്പടുക്കുന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ, അമ്മയുടെ മടിയിൽ ഇരുന്ന് സോമം പിടിക്കണമെന്നാഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന കുഞ്ഞുപോലെയാണ്.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from context)
Scene: A brāhmaṇa with a recitation scroll ties his girdle as if ready for heaven; beside him a small child on a mother’s lap stretches tiny hands toward a radiant Soma vessel guarded by ritual fire and devas.
FAQs
Heavenly attainment demands maturity and practice; mere recitation is an immature ambition, like a child reaching for Soma.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse uses Vedic imagery (Soma) to critique superficial religiosity.
None directly; it implies that higher results require more than reading—namely discipline, purity, and right conduct.