क्रोधेन च तपो यद्वत्कामेन च यथा मतिः । अनयेन यथा लक्ष्मीर्विद्या मानेन वै यथा
krodhena ca tapo yadvatkāmena ca yathā matiḥ | anayena yathā lakṣmīrvidyā mānena vai yathā
जसा क्रोधाने तप नष्ट होते, जसा कामाने मती भ्रष्ट होते; जसा अन्यायाने लक्ष्मी नष्ट होते, तसा मान-अहंकाराने विद्या नष्ट होते—
Skanda
Listener: Sages/pilgrims seeking tīrtha-phala
Scene: A didactic tableau: four panels showing (1) ascetic’s fire of tapas quenched by anger, (2) a clear mind clouded by desire, (3) Lakṣmī departing from a house of injustice, (4) a scholar’s manuscript dimmed by pride—set against a Kāśī backdrop.
The verse warns that inner vices negate spiritual and worldly gains, implying the need for dhārmic conduct alongside tīrtha devotion.
The surrounding passage is Gaṅgā-māhātmya in Kāśī; this verse functions as an ethical contrast within that praise.
No specific ritual is stated; it teaches ethical restraints (anger, desire, pride, injustice) as supportive disciplines.