Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
केचिच्छ्रेयो धर्ममाहुरैश्वर्यं त्यागभोजनम् । केचिद्दमं तपो द्रव्यं भोगान्मुक्तिं च केचन
kecicchreyo dharmamāhuraiśvaryaṃ tyāgabhojanam | keciddamaṃ tapo dravyaṃ bhogānmuktiṃ ca kecana
कुछ लोग धर्म को श्रेय कहते हैं; कुछ ऐश्वर्य-सम्पदा को, और कुछ त्यागयुक्त सादा भोजन को। कुछ दम, तप, धन, भोग—और कुछ भोग से मुक्ति अर्थात् मोक्ष को भी श्रेय कहते हैं।
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.