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
அவர்கள் எவ்வாறு ‘கதங்காரம்’—வெறும் பேச்சுச் சுழல்—மட்டுமே வழிபட்டு, அந்த ஹரனை வழிபடாமல் இருக்கிறார்கள்? அல்லது, ஓ பிராமணரே, உலகப் பந்தத்தால் அஞ்சும் அனைவரும் அவரிடமே சரணடைகின்றனர்.
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.