Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 79
यदाप्रभृति भद्र त्वं पाषाणस्यार्चने रतः । तदाप्रभृति किंचिच्च न हि पश्यामि शोभनम्
yadāprabhṛti bhadra tvaṃ pāṣāṇasyārcane rataḥ | tadāprabhṛti kiṃcicca na hi paśyāmi śobhanam
भद्र, यदा त्वं पाषाणमात्रस्य अर्चने रतः अभवः, तदाप्रभृति तव विषये किंचिदपि शोभनं न पश्यामि।
Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced, Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative frame)
Scene: A concerned admonisher addresses a devotee who clings to a rough stone on a simple altar; the devotee’s face shows stubbornness while the speaker shows compassionate severity.
FAQs
Devotion must be rightly placed; misguided worship leads to loss of auspicious outcomes and spiritual clarity.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.
It critiques an improper form of worship (pāṣāṇa-arcana) rather than prescribing a specific rite.