Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
केचिच्छ्रेयो धर्ममाहुरैश्वर्यं त्यागभोजनम् । केचिद्दमं तपो द्रव्यं भोगान्मुक्तिं च केचन
kecicchreyo dharmamāhuraiśvaryaṃ tyāgabhojanam | keciddamaṃ tapo dravyaṃ bhogānmuktiṃ ca kecana
کچھ لوگ دھرم کو ہی شریہ کہتے ہیں؛ کچھ سلطنت و دولت کو، یا ترکِ دنیا اور سادہ خوراک والی زندگی کو۔ کچھ ضبطِ نفس، تپسیا، مال، لذت—اور کچھ تو لذت سے رہائی یعنی مکتی کو بھی شریہ مانتے ہیں۔
Barbarīka
Listener: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Scene: A didactic tableau: the speaker enumerates diverse opinions about the highest good—dharma, sovereignty, renunciation, restraint, austerity, wealth, enjoyment, and liberation—suggesting a philosophical crossroads.
FAQs
People propose many ‘highest goods’; the verse sets up the need for authoritative discernment to identify true śreyas beyond conflicting opinions.
None; the focus is ethical-philosophical categorization, not sacred geography.
No direct ritual is prescribed; practices like dama (restraint) and tapas (austerity) are listed as proposed ideals.