Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः । न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम्
yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ | na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṃ na parāṃ gatim
Wer die Vorschrift der Śāstras beiseitewirft und aus bloßer Laune und Begierde handelt, erlangt weder Vollendung noch Glück noch das höchste Ziel.
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha framework (general)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nṛpa (King) in Revā-khaṇḍa discourse
Scene: A forked path: one pilgrim follows a śāstra-bearing sage toward a tīrtha; another follows desire toward revelry, shown fading into shadow; above, a symbolic ‘parā gati’ light only on the disciplined path.
FAQs
Dharma requires guidance and restraint; desire-driven living without śāstra leads to failure in worldly and spiritual aims.
No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the verse sets a universal rule for all religious practice, including tīrtha-yātrā.
Adhere to śāstra-vidhi rather than personal whim when undertaking rites, vows, expiation, and pilgrimage.