Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
धर्म एव सहायी स्यादमुत्र न परिच्छदः । पितृ मातृ सुत भ्रातृ योषिद्बंधुजनादिकः
dharma eva sahāyī syādamutra na paricchadaḥ | pitṛ mātṛ suta bhrātṛ yoṣidbaṃdhujanādikaḥ
পৰলোকত ধৰ্মেই সহায়, ধন-সম্পত্তি নহয়; পিতা, মাতা, পুত্ৰ, ভ্ৰাতা, পত্নী বা আত্মীয়-স্বজন আদি কোনোবাই তাত সংগ নাযায়।
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kāśī pilgrims/seekers
Scene: A pilgrim stands at a cremation ghat (Manikarnika-like setting) watching funeral rites; behind him faint silhouettes of family and possessions fade, while a luminous scroll labeled ‘dharma’ remains near his heart; the Gaṅgā flows steadily.
FAQs
Only dharma accompanies the soul after death; worldly ties and possessions cannot cross over.
The instruction is delivered in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting, aligning detachment with Kāśī’s liberation-oriented ethos.
None directly; the verse prescribes a mindset of detachment and reliance on dharma.