Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77
कथंकारं हि ते नाम भजंते नैव तं हरम् । अथ वा भीतसंसाराः सर्वे विप्र यतो जनाः
kathaṃkāraṃ hi te nāma bhajaṃte naiva taṃ haram | atha vā bhītasaṃsārāḥ sarve vipra yato janāḥ
ते केवळ ‘कथंकार’—फक्त शब्दचातुर्य—यालाच कसे भजतात, त्या हराला नाही? किंवा, हे विप्र, संसारभयाने भयभीत सर्व जन त्याच्याच शरण जातात।
Unclear from snippet (context suggests a character within the narrative speaking to a brāhmaṇa); defaulting to Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) as narrator
Listener: Brāhmaṇa (addressed as ‘vipra’)
Scene: A brāhmaṇa addressed; crowds engaged in noisy debate or ritualized ‘talk’, contrasted with a calm shrine of Hara where frightened people seek refuge; visual tension between clamorous speech and silent devotion.
FAQs
Do not replace devotion with sterile argument; saṃsāra’s fear is healed by turning to Hara.
No tīrtha is identified in this verse.
None; it is a moral-spiritual admonition favoring worship over quarrelsome reasoning.