Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
केचिच्छ्रेयो धर्ममाहुरैश्वर्यं त्यागभोजनम् । केचिद्दमं तपो द्रव्यं भोगान्मुक्तिं च केचन
kecicchreyo dharmamāhuraiśvaryaṃ tyāgabhojanam | keciddamaṃ tapo dravyaṃ bhogānmuktiṃ ca kecana
કેટલાક ધર્મને શ્રેય કહે છે; કેટલાક ઐશ્વર્ય-સમૃદ્ધિને, અને કેટલાક ત્યાગયુક્ત સાદા ભોજનને. કેટલાક દમ, તપ, ધન, ભોગ—અને કેટલાક ભોગથી મુક્તિ એટલે મોક્ષને પણ શ્રેય કહે છે।
Barbarīka
Listener: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Scene: A didactic tableau: the speaker enumerates diverse opinions about the highest good—dharma, sovereignty, renunciation, restraint, austerity, wealth, enjoyment, and liberation—suggesting a philosophical crossroads.
FAQs
People propose many ‘highest goods’; the verse sets up the need for authoritative discernment to identify true śreyas beyond conflicting opinions.
None; the focus is ethical-philosophical categorization, not sacred geography.
No direct ritual is prescribed; practices like dama (restraint) and tapas (austerity) are listed as proposed ideals.