Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 97
धर्ममर्थं च कामं च मोक्षं च नातुरो यतः । शक्तः साधयितुं तस्माद्युवा धर्मं समाचरेत्
dharmamarthaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca mokṣaṃ ca nāturo yataḥ | śaktaḥ sādhayituṃ tasmādyuvā dharmaṃ samācaret
Because one not afflicted by age or disease can accomplish dharma, wealth, pleasure, and even liberation, therefore, while young, one should practice dharma.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)
Scene: A youthful seeker stands at a crossroads with four symbolic paths labeled dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa; he steps first onto the dharma path, holding prayer beads and a water pot.
FAQs
Do dharma early: youth and health provide the strength needed to pursue all four aims of life, including mokṣa.
No particular sacred site is identified in this verse.
A general prescription: “samācaret dharmam”—one should actively live by dharma while capable.
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