Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57
यशोहीनं तु यत्क्षेमं तत्क्षेमान्निधनं वरम् । तद्यशः प्राप्यते पुंभिर्नीतिमार्गप्रवर्तने
yaśohīnaṃ tu yatkṣemaṃ tatkṣemānnidhanaṃ varam | tadyaśaḥ prāpyate puṃbhirnītimārgapravartane
যে কল্যাণ যশহীন, তা প্রকৃত কল্যাণ নয়; তার চেয়ে মৃত্যুও শ্রেয়। কারণ নীতিধর্মের পথে প্রবৃত্ত হলে মানুষ সেই যশই লাভ করে।
Pārāvatī (female pigeon) (deduced from immediate narrative: wife advising husband)
Listener: null
Scene: A moral counsel scene: a dignified figure instructs another at a threshold, with symbolic scales—one side ‘kṣema’ (comfort) and the other ‘yaśas’ (honor)—the honor side shining brighter; in the background, Kāśī’s temples suggest dharma’s setting.
FAQs
Prosperity without dharma and honor is empty; true worth arises from living by nīti (ethical dharma), even at personal risk.
No single tirtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharma-teaching within the broader Kāśī context.
None; the ‘prescription’ is ethical—entering and practicing the path of nīti (righteous conduct).