Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41
सर्वमेतदवाप्नोति स कोपि यदिवा न वा । किंचित्केनापि हि न्यूनं संसारः कुरुते नरम्
sarvametadavāpnoti sa kopi yadivā na vā | kiṃcitkenāpi hi nyūnaṃ saṃsāraḥ kurute naram
Quand bien même quelqu’un obtiendrait tout cela — ou peut-être n’obtiendrait rien — le saṃsāra rend pourtant l’homme déficient en quelque point. Car l’existence mondaine laisse toujours derrière elle un manque.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Listener: Nārada
Scene: A lone traveler stands at a crossroads with two paths labeled ‘gain’ and ‘loss’; both lead to a shadowy wheel of saṃsāra with a missing piece, while a luminous temple silhouette in the distance symbolizes the path beyond deficiency.
FAQs
Worldly life (saṃsāra) cannot fully satisfy; even after gains, some lack remains—prompting dispassion (vairāgya) and a turn toward liberation-oriented dharma.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general purāṇic teaching on saṃsāra rather than a direct sthala-māhātmya passage.
None is explicitly stated in this verse (no direct mention of snāna, dāna, japa, vrata, or tīrtha-yātrā).