Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 84
ये शास्त्रज्ञाने सत्यस्मिन्सर्वकर्मार्थसाधके । न कुर्वंत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्तदत्र परमद्भुतम्
ye śāstrajñāne satyasminsarvakarmārthasādhake | na kurvaṃtyātmanaḥ śreyastadatra paramadbhutam
Ceux qui possèdent la vraie connaissance des śāstra—celle qui accomplit les fins de toute action juste—et pourtant ne recherchent pas leur bien suprême (śreyas) : voilà, ici, la plus grande merveille.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)
Scene: A scholar holding a manuscript stands before a shining gateway labeled ‘śreyas’; yet he turns away toward mundane pursuits. Above, a celestial figure gestures in astonishment—‘paramadbhutam’.
FAQs
Even genuine scriptural learning is futile if it does not lead one to pursue śreyas—inner spiritual welfare and liberation-oriented living.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives a general dhārmic exhortation within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa context.
No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse prescribes a life-choice: acting toward śreyas in light of śāstra.