Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90
अपुत्रत्वं वरं नृणां कुपुत्रात्कुलपांसनात् । त्यजेदेकं कुलस्यार्थे नीतिरेषा सनातनी
aputratvaṃ varaṃ nṛṇāṃ kuputrātkulapāṃsanāt | tyajedekaṃ kulasyārthe nītireṣā sanātanī
For men, childlessness is better than a wicked son—the filth of the family. For the sake of the lineage, one may renounce a single person; this is the eternal rule of dharma.
Skanda (narrating to Agastya, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A teacher-like elder pronounces an austere maxim: better no son than a wicked son; the scene is composed like a moral tableau—elder seated, listeners subdued, dharma-texts or ritual items nearby.
FAQs
Dharma prioritizes integrity over mere lineage continuation; a corrupt heir harms the family’s spiritual and social standing.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader Kāśī-centered teaching context.
None; it is a nīti (ethical maxim).