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
ہر چیز کے ذخیرے کہیں بھی دیر تک قائم نہیں رہتے؛ مگر اے محبوبہ، دوسروں کی بھلائی کے لیے کی گئی خدمت ایک ایسی چیز ہے جو بہت مدت تک باقی رہتی ہے۔
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.