Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 26
बांधवा विमुखा यांति धर्मो यांतमनु व्रजेत् । अतः संचिनुयाद्धर्म्ममत्राऽमुत्र सहायिनम्
bāṃdhavā vimukhā yāṃti dharmo yāṃtamanu vrajet | ataḥ saṃcinuyāddharmmamatrā'mutra sahāyinam
ญาติมิตรย่อมหันหลังแล้วจากไป แต่ธรรมะย่อมติดตามผู้จากไปนั้น ฉะนั้นพึงสั่งสมธรรมะไว้ เป็นผู้เกื้อหนุนทั้งในโลกนี้และโลกหน้า
Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally framed within Sūta’s discourse in Purāṇic setting)
Scene: A departing traveler at a cremation ground threshold: relatives stand back with turned faces, while a radiant figure of Dharma walks beside the traveler holding a staff or scripture.
FAQs
Worldly supports are unreliable at death; dharma alone remains a faithful companion, so one must store merit through righteous living.
No specific sacred geography appears in this verse; it functions as general Purāṇic dharma-instruction.
The prescription is to ‘accumulate dharma’—through acts like charity, vows, worship, and ethical conduct (implied by the surrounding context).