Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18
अशक्तश्चलितुं वापि मर्तुमिच्छामि नापि च । सर्वे लाभाः सातिमाना इति सत्या बतश्रुतिः
aśaktaścalituṃ vāpi martumicchāmi nāpi ca | sarve lābhāḥ sātimānā iti satyā bataśrutiḥ
“I am unable even to move; yet I do not wish to die either. Alas—true indeed is the ancient saying: every gain comes mixed with its own burden of pride and pain.”
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa (deductive attribution)
Scene: A weakened figure reclines or sits supported, expressing inability to move; the face shows conflict—neither desire to live in suffering nor to die—while a narrator/sage listens compassionately.
FAQs
Worldly ‘gains’ often carry hidden suffering—pride, anxiety, and attachment—so one should cultivate discernment and contentment.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves as a general dharmic reflection within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
None in this verse; it is an ethical-philosophical observation rather than a vrata or tīrtha-ritual instruction.