Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
ज्ञानिनोपि यदा स्वार्थमाश्रित्य ध्यानमास्थिताः । दुःखार्त्तानीह सत्त्वानि क्व यास्यंति सुखं ततः
jñāninopi yadā svārthamāśritya dhyānamāsthitāḥ | duḥkhārttānīha sattvāni kva yāsyaṃti sukhaṃ tataḥ
« Lorsque même les sages s’adonnent à la méditation en s’attachant à leur intérêt personnel, où donc les êtres souffrants de ce monde trouveront-ils le bonheur ? »
Unnamed ṛṣi (contextual speaker within the narrative; later Śiva speaks at v.24)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A juxtaposition: the sage in a meditative posture, yet eyes open with compassion toward suffering creatures; the background shows the worldly scene of harm, implying that true contemplation must respond to visible duḥkha.
FAQs
Spiritual practice divorced from compassion fails society; dharma demands concern for suffering beings.
The discourse occurs within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, highlighting Prabhāsa as a dharma-educating pilgrimage field.
No direct prescription; the verse critiques self-centered spirituality and implies service/protection as dharma.