Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
संचयाः सर्ववस्तूनां चिरं तिष्ठति नो क्वचित् । सुचिरं तिष्ठते चैकं परोपकरणं प्रिये
saṃcayāḥ sarvavastūnāṃ ciraṃ tiṣṭhati no kvacit | suciraṃ tiṣṭhate caikaṃ paropakaraṇaṃ priye
సర్వ వస్తువుల కూడబెట్టులు ఎక్కడా దీర్ఘకాలం నిలవవు; కానీ హే ప్రియే, ఒక్కటే చాలా కాలం నిలుస్తుంది—పరోపకార పుణ్యం।
Śiva
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contemplative contrast: fading heaps of goods dissolve into dust while a luminous thread of ‘service’ remains, symbolized by a lamp offered to a traveler or food given to the hungry.
FAQs
Material accumulation is fleeting; enduring spiritual capital is the merit of benefiting others.
The verse is within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting, aligning the city’s greatness with the lasting fruit of dharmic action.
No formal rite; the implicit prescription is dāna/sevā—acts that support others and generate lasting puṇya.