Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20
उभयभ्रष्ट एवासौ भिन्ना भूमिर्विनश्यति । संन्यासस्य तु यत्सारं तत्तेनावृतमुत्तमम्
ubhayabhraṣṭa evāsau bhinnā bhūmirvinaśyati | saṃnyāsasya tu yatsāraṃ tattenāvṛtamuttamam
Such a person is fallen from both paths; like split ground, he comes to ruin. But whatever is the true essence of renunciation—that supreme essence is veiled for him.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context
Scene: A cracked, split earth motif beneath a wavering ascetic figure—symbolizing instability; above, a veiled luminous ‘essence of renunciation’ (a covered lamp) that he cannot access.
FAQs
External renunciation without inner freedom leads to ruin; the highest meaning of saṃnyāsa remains hidden from the impure-minded.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a doctrinal warning about false renunciation.
No ritual is given; the prescription is to align inner intention with the chosen path so one is not ‘ubhaya-bhraṣṭa’.