Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
तव पूजा विहीनानां दिनान्यायांति यांति च । यानि देव मृतानां च तानि यांति न जीवताम्
tava pūjā vihīnānāṃ dinānyāyāṃti yāṃti ca | yāni deva mṛtānāṃ ca tāni yāṃti na jīvatām
ഹേ ദേവാ! നിന്റെ പൂജയില്ലാത്തവരുടെ ദിവസങ്ങൾ വെറും വരുകയും പോകുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു; അവ മരിച്ചവരുടെ ദിവസങ്ങളെപ്പോലെ—ജീവിക്കുന്നവരുടെതല്ല.
Narrative voice within the Māhātmya (speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Split-scene contrast: on one side, a person neglects worship as days slip by like shadows; on the other, a devotee lights a lamp before Śiva, transforming the same time into luminous, meaningful life.
FAQs
A life without devotion and worship is spiritually barren, equated to lifelessness.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-centered discourse of the chapter.
Regular pūjā (worship) is implied as essential devotional practice.