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
เขาทั้งหลายบูชาเพียง “ถ้อยคำลมๆ แล้งๆ” ได้อย่างไร แต่ไม่บูชาพระหระนั้น? หรืออีกนัยหนึ่ง—โอ้พราหมณ์—เพราะชนทั้งปวงหวาดหวั่นต่อสังสารวัฏ (จึงควรหันไปพึ่งพระองค์)
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.