Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
केचिच्छ्रेयो धर्ममाहुरैश्वर्यं त्यागभोजनम् । केचिद्दमं तपो द्रव्यं भोगान्मुक्तिं च केचन
kecicchreyo dharmamāhuraiśvaryaṃ tyāgabhojanam | keciddamaṃ tapo dravyaṃ bhogānmuktiṃ ca kecana
কেউ বলেন ধর্মই শ্রেয়; কেউ বলেন ঐশ্বর্য-সমৃদ্ধি, আর কেউ ত্যাগময় সরল আহার। কেউ বলেন দমন, তপস্যা, ধন, ভোগ; আবার কেউ ভোগ থেকে মুক্তি—মোক্ষকেও শ্রেয় বলেন।
Barbarīka
Listener: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Scene: A didactic tableau: the speaker enumerates diverse opinions about the highest good—dharma, sovereignty, renunciation, restraint, austerity, wealth, enjoyment, and liberation—suggesting a philosophical crossroads.
FAQs
People propose many ‘highest goods’; the verse sets up the need for authoritative discernment to identify true śreyas beyond conflicting opinions.
None; the focus is ethical-philosophical categorization, not sacred geography.
No direct ritual is prescribed; practices like dama (restraint) and tapas (austerity) are listed as proposed ideals.