Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29
त्याज्यं कर्म पराधीनं कायमात्मवशं सदा । दुःखी यतः पराधीनः सदैवात्मवशः सुखी
tyājyaṃ karma parādhīnaṃ kāyamātmavaśaṃ sadā | duḥkhī yataḥ parādhīnaḥ sadaivātmavaśaḥ sukhī
يُترك العمل الذي يجعل المرء تابعاً لغيره، وليكن الجسد والحياة دائماً تحت سلطان النفس. فالتابع لغيره شقيّ، وأما من يملك زمام نفسه فدائم السعادة.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim-householder at a Kāśī ghat rejects a tempting but compromising offer from a powerful patron; he chooses a simple path, holding a japa-mālā, standing upright—symbol of self-mastery—while the Ganga flows steadily behind.
FAQs
Happiness supports dharma when one lives with self-mastery; dependency that compromises integrity breeds sorrow.
No particular tīrtha is specified; the instruction appears within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharmic discourse.
A practical prescription is given: avoid livelihoods/actions that force unethical dependence; cultivate ātma-vaśa (self-control).