Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81
परयोषित्समासक्तिरायुः कीर्ति बलं सुखम् । हरेत्स्वर्ग गतिं चापि तस्मात्तां वर्जयेत्सुधीः
parayoṣitsamāsaktirāyuḥ kīrti balaṃ sukham | haretsvarga gatiṃ cāpi tasmāttāṃ varjayetsudhīḥ
L’attachement à l’épouse d’autrui dérobe la durée de vie, la renommée, la force et la joie, et ruine même la voie vers le ciel ; que le sage s’en détourne.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A didactic tableau: a wise teacher-like figure gestures in admonition; behind, allegorical figures of Āyuḥ, Kīrti, Bala, Sukha depart from a man tempted by forbidden attachment; a dim path to svarga closes.
FAQs
Moral restraint is not merely social—misconduct depletes vitality and merit, obstructing higher destinies.
No single tīrtha is named; the teaching functions as a dharmic precondition to benefit from Kāśī’s sanctity.
A behavioral prohibition is given: avoid attachment to another’s spouse as a core niyama.