Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63
सुगंधकेतकी चापि अयोग्या त्वं शिवार्चने । भविष्यसि न संदेहो अनृता चैव भामिनि
sugaṃdhaketakī cāpi ayogyā tvaṃ śivārcane | bhaviṣyasi na saṃdeho anṛtā caiva bhāmini
Wahai Ketakī yang harum—tiada syak lagi—engkau akan menjadi tidak layak untuk pemujaan Śiva, kerana engkau telah berkata dusta, wahai wanita.
The assembled gods (Devas) pronouncing a curse (contextual deduction)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage audience
Scene: Ketakī, personified as a fragrant lady, is addressed and declared unfit for Śiva worship; the flower’s beauty contrasts with the moral stain of untruth; devas stand as witnesses to the new ritual rule.
FAQs
Ritual offerings must be rooted in truthfulness; deceit disqualifies even a sacred fragrance from worship.
The Kedāra section frames the narrative; the verse is about Śiva-arcana norms rather than a particular tirtha’s merit.
A rule by consequence: Ketakī becomes unfit to be used in Śiva worship.