Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
अनाश्रमी न तिष्ठेत दिनमेकमपि द्विजः । आश्रमं तु विना तिष्ठन्प्रायश्चित्ती यतो हि सः
anāśramī na tiṣṭheta dinamekamapi dvijaḥ | āśramaṃ tu vinā tiṣṭhanprāyaścittī yato hi saḥ
Seorang dvija tidak patut tinggal walau sehari pun tanpa bernaung dalam suatu āśrama. Sebab bila ia hidup tanpa āśrama, ia menjadi terkena kewajiban prāyaścitta (penebusan dosa).
Skanda
Scene: A dvija standing before a dharma-assembly with a manuscript of dharmaśāstra; a small scale symbolizes accountability; a priest indicates expiation rites, emphasizing immediacy (‘not even one day’).
FAQs
Spiritual life requires stable dharmic anchoring; drifting outside disciplined stages is treated as a fault needing correction.
Kāśī is the contextual backdrop; the city’s greatness is tied to living dharma, not only pilgrimage.
It states that living without an āśrama entails prāyaścitta (expiatory rite).