Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 97
धर्ममर्थं च कामं च मोक्षं च नातुरो यतः । शक्तः साधयितुं तस्माद्युवा धर्मं समाचरेत्
dharmamarthaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca mokṣaṃ ca nāturo yataḥ | śaktaḥ sādhayituṃ tasmādyuvā dharmaṃ samācaret
कारण जो पुरुष जरा वा रोगाने पीडित नाही, तो धर्म, अर्थ, काम आणि मोक्षही साधण्यास समर्थ असतो; म्हणून युवावस्थेत धर्माचे आचरण करावे.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)
Scene: A youthful seeker stands at a crossroads with four symbolic paths labeled dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa; he steps first onto the dharma path, holding prayer beads and a water pot.
FAQs
Do dharma early: youth and health provide the strength needed to pursue all four aims of life, including mokṣa.
No particular sacred site is identified in this verse.
A general prescription: “samācaret dharmam”—one should actively live by dharma while capable.