Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37
चतुःसागरसंयुक्तां यो भुंक्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । एकस्तु वनवासी च स कृतार्थो न पार्थिवः
catuḥsāgarasaṃyuktāṃ yo bhuṃkte pṛthivīmimām | ekastu vanavāsī ca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ
Walau seorang raja menikmati dan memerintah bumi yang dilingkari empat samudra, yang sungguh berhasil (kṛtārtha) ialah pertapa penghuni rimba yang hidup sendiri, bukan penguasa dunia.
Unspecified (didactic verse within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narrative context)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (contextual)
Scene: A grand king on a throne with the four oceans symbolically encircling the map of earth, contrasted with a lone ascetic in a forest clearing—calm, radiant, fulfilled.
FAQs
True success is inner freedom and simplicity, not political power or vast possessions.
The chapter belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya; the verse supports pilgrimage as a path to detachment.
No explicit ritual; it commends the renunciant/forest-dweller disposition.