Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
अतिवाह्यायुषोभागं तृतीयमिति कानने । आयुषस्तु तुरीयांशे त्यक्त्वा संगान्परिव्रजेत्
ativāhyāyuṣobhāgaṃ tṛtīyamiti kānane | āyuṣastu turīyāṃśe tyaktvā saṃgānparivrajet
Après avoir passé la troisième part de la vie dans la forêt, durant la quatrième part—ayant renoncé à tout attachement—il doit s’en aller, errant comme renonçant.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Scene: An elder ascetic leaves a forest hermitage, cutting the last bonds of attachment; he steps onto a road with staff and begging bowl, turning away from former ties; the background shifts from dense forest (third stage) to open path (fourth stage).
FAQs
Life is structured for gradual detachment: disciplined withdrawal culminates in full renunciation and freedom from clinging.
The teaching is embedded in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s spiritual culture, presenting the renunciant path aligned with Kāśī’s mokṣa-oriented identity.
An āśrama prescription: after forest-dwelling in the third life-stage, one should take up parivrājya (wandering renunciation) in the fourth.