Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17
एक एव चरेन्नित्यमनग्निरनिकेतनः । सिद्ध्यर्थमसहायः स्याद्ग्राममन्नार्थमाश्रयेत्
eka eva carennityamanagniraniketanaḥ | siddhyarthamasahāyaḥ syādgrāmamannārthamāśrayet
ಅವನು ಸದಾ ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಸಂಚರಿಸಬೇಕು; ಬಾಹ್ಯ ಅಗ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಕಾಯ್ದುಕೊಳ್ಳದೆ, ಸ್ಥಿರ ನಿವಾಸವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಇರಬೇಕು. ಸಿದ್ಧ್ಯರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ಸಹಾಯಕರಿಲ್ಲದೆ ನಿರಾಸಕ್ತನಾಗಿ, ಅನ್ನಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಗ್ರಾಮವನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಬೇಕು.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A lone ascetic walking with staff and waterpot along a dusty path outside Kāśī, refusing shelter; he approaches a village at midday for alms, then departs to a riverside grove.
FAQs
Solitude and non-dependence reduce distraction; minimal contact with society supports focused striving for realization.
This is a general yati-dharma instruction within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, not a verse praising a named shrine.
A lifestyle rule: wander alone, keep no fixed abode, and approach villages only for alms/food.