Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15
ऋणत्रयमसंशोध्य त्वनुत्पाद्य सुतानपि । तथा यज्ञाननिष्ट्वा च मोक्षमिच्छन्व्रजत्यधः
ṛṇatrayamasaṃśodhya tvanutpādya sutānapi | tathā yajñānaniṣṭvā ca mokṣamicchanvrajatyadhaḥ
Wer jedoch, ohne die drei Schulden zu tilgen—ohne Söhne zu zeugen und ohne die Opfer (Yajña) zu vollziehen—Befreiung begehrt, der sinkt hinab und verfehlt den Pfad.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Scene: A would-be renunciant turns away from household duties; shadowy imagery of descent contrasts with a luminous path available to one who has fulfilled debts—sages, devas, and pitṛs appear as witnesses, indicating unmet obligations.
FAQs
Liberation is not a bypass of dharma; one must mature through duties—learning, lineage, and worship—before claiming renunciation.
Kāśī’s mokṣa-vision is the backdrop, but the verse stresses universal dharma-preconditions rather than a named tīrtha.
Repayment of the three debts through study/tradition, progeny (pitṛ duty), and yajña (deva duty) before pursuing mokṣa.