Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48
शक्र वक्रगतिं मा गा मा कृथा यम यातनाम् । चेतः प्रचेतः शमय लौलुप्यं त्यज वित्तप
śakra vakragatiṃ mā gā mā kṛthā yama yātanām | cetaḥ pracetaḥ śamaya laulupyaṃ tyaja vittapa
ఓ శక్రా, వంకర మార్గంలో పోకుము; యమలోక యాతనను నీకు నీవే కల్పించుకోకుము। ఓ మనసా, జాగ్రత్తగా ఉండు—శాంతించు; ఓ ధనాధిపా, లోభాన్ని విడిచిపెట్టు।
Deductively: Skanda
Listener: Addressed vocatively to ‘Śakra’ and to the ‘mind’ (cetaḥ) / ‘lord of wealth’ (vittapa) as moral archetypes
Scene: A moral tableau: two paths—one straight and bright leading to a Śiva-temple light, another crooked descending toward Yama’s dark realm; the mind is shown being calmed, greed personified as a grasping figure being cast away.
FAQs
Greed and crooked conduct lead to suffering; self-restraint and calming the mind are essential to dharma.
The verse occurs in the Revā Khaṇḍa context, implicitly tied to the sanctifying power of the Revā-tīra.
A moral prescription: renounce greed (laulupya) and cultivate inner calm (śama).