Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
अर्थश्चेत्सर्वथारक्ष्य इति कैश्चिदुदाहृतम् । तत्कथं न हरिश्चंद्रोऽरक्षत्कुशिकनंदने
arthaścetsarvathārakṣya iti kaiścidudāhṛtam | tatkathaṃ na hariścaṃdro'rakṣatkuśikanaṃdane
Ada yang berkata bahwa artha, harta kekayaan, dapat dijaga dalam segala keadaan. Jika demikian, mengapa Raja Hariścandra tak mampu melindunginya ketika berhadapan dengan putra Kuśika (Viśvāmitra)?
Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Hariścandra, stripped of royal wealth, stands humbled before Viśvāmitra (Kuśika-nandana); the scene contrasts fading riches with the steady glow of dharma, with Kāśī’s ghats faintly evoked as the teaching backdrop.
FAQs
Wealth is contingent and vulnerable; even great kings lose it—therefore Dharma, not artha, should be treated as one’s true refuge.
Indirectly Kāśī: the chapter argues for Kāśī-born Dharma as the lasting safeguard beyond worldly artha.
None; it uses an Itihāsa exemplar (Hariścandra) as moral proof.