Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73
निशम्येति मनस्येव कथयामास स द्विजः । अहो प्रतिगृहीतं मे यदर्थं वसु भूरिशः
niśamyeti manasyeva kathayāmāsa sa dvijaḥ | aho pratigṛhītaṃ me yadarthaṃ vasu bhūriśaḥ
Mendengar itu, sang brāhmaṇa berkata dalam hatinya sendiri: “Aduhai! Untuk tujuan apakah aku menerima kekayaan yang begitu melimpah ini?”
Skanda (narrator); quoted inner speech of a brāhmaṇa protagonist
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim/audience within Kāśī-khaṇḍa dialogue tradition
Scene: A brāhmaṇa sits in dim lamplight, eyes lowered, speaking only within his mind; a heap of coins/wealth lies before him like a burden; behind, the silhouette of Kāśī’s ghāṭs and a distant liṅga-temple spire suggests the sacred city he fears losing.
FAQs
Unrighteous acceptance (pratigraha) becomes bondage; remorse arises when the consequences ripen.
Kāśī is the sacred background: the later lament implies that losing one’s place in Kāśī is a grave spiritual loss.
None as a direct injunction; the verse points to ethical discipline regarding gifts and wealth.