Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34
गृहाश्रमं समाश्रित्य यः पुनर्ब्रह्मचर्यभाक् । नासौ यतिर्वनस्थो वा स्यात्सर्वाश्रमवर्जितः
gṛhāśramaṃ samāśritya yaḥ punarbrahmacaryabhāk | nāsau yatirvanastho vā syātsarvāśramavarjitaḥ
Mas aquele que, tendo entrado no āśrama de gṛhastha, volta a assumir o brahmacarya, não é nem yati (renunciante) nem vānaprastha (morador da floresta); torna-se alguém excluído de todos os āśramas, fora das etapas ordenadas.
Skanda
Scene: A householder at a crossroads: one path leads to home with ritual implements, another to forest with ascetic symbols; elders gesture toward the śāstric path, warning against liminal, unordained identity.
FAQs
Dharma is not mere personal preference; it is an ordered life-path where commitments and stages must be honored with clarity.
The instruction belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting, framing right living as integral to the sanctity of the city.
It warns against adopting a student’s vow after entering household life in a way that breaks the āśrama framework.