Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37
चतुःसागरसंयुक्तां यो भुंक्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । एकस्तु वनवासी च स कृतार्थो न पार्थिवः
catuḥsāgarasaṃyuktāṃ yo bhuṃkte pṛthivīmimām | ekastu vanavāsī ca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ
Quand bien même un roi régnerait sur cette terre ceinte des quatre océans, ce n’est pas lui qui est accompli ; c’est l’ermite solitaire des forêts qui l’est vraiment, non le souverain du monde.
Unspecified (didactic verse within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narrative context)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (contextual)
Scene: A grand king on a throne with the four oceans symbolically encircling the map of earth, contrasted with a lone ascetic in a forest clearing—calm, radiant, fulfilled.
FAQs
True success is inner freedom and simplicity, not political power or vast possessions.
The chapter belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya; the verse supports pilgrimage as a path to detachment.
No explicit ritual; it commends the renunciant/forest-dweller disposition.