Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21
वसिष्ठ उवाच । धर्मार्थं संचयो यस्य द्रव्याणां स न शस्यते । तपःसंचयनं मन्ये वसिष्ठो धनसंचयम्
vasiṣṭha uvāca | dharmārthaṃ saṃcayo yasya dravyāṇāṃ sa na śasyate | tapaḥsaṃcayanaṃ manye vasiṣṭho dhanasaṃcayam
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Sesiapa yang mengumpul harta semata-mata atas nama ‘dharma’ tidaklah benar-benar terpuji. Aku, Vasiṣṭha, menganggap himpunan tapa (tapas) lebih mulia daripada himpunan kekayaan.”
Vasiṣṭha
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Sage Vasiṣṭha, serene and radiant, instructs pilgrims near the Prabhāsa shore; a balance scale shows ‘tapas’ outweighing ‘gold’. Somnātha’s silhouette and the sea-wind frame the scene.
FAQs
Spiritual capital is tapas and restraint; merely stockpiling wealth—even under the label of ‘dharma’—is inferior to inner discipline.
This teaching is delivered within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya context, where pilgrimage is tied to ethical purification.
No specific ritual; it recommends a life-orientation: cultivate tapas (austerity) rather than dhana-saṃcaya (wealth-hoarding).