Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5
शोच्यं पातकिनं मां च संस्तुवध्वं कथं सुराः । पंचानामपि यो भर्ता प्राकृतोऽसौ न कीर्त्यते
śocyaṃ pātakinaṃ māṃ ca saṃstuvadhvaṃ kathaṃ surāḥ | paṃcānāmapi yo bhartā prākṛto'sau na kīrtyate
“हे सुरांनो, शोक करण्याजोग्या पातकी मला तुम्ही कसे स्तवता? पाचही (इंद्रिये) यांचा स्वामी असला तरी जो प्राकृत-सांसारिक होतो, तो कीर्तनीय ठरत नाही।”
Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya) (deduced: the 'great-souled one' addressing devas)
Listener: Devas (addressed); Pārtha (addressed by narrator)
Scene: Skanda speaks with calm severity, pointing inward (toward the heart) as devas stand with folded hands, their praise transformed into attentive listening.
FAQs
Praise is secondary to purity: self-mastery and dharmic intention matter more than external victory or acclaim.
No holy site is referenced in this verse.
None directly; the verse sets up the need for prāyaścitta (atonement) and ethical reflection.