Skandapurana 4.7.74.1

4.7.74.1

agastiruvāca..
mathurāyāṃ dvijaḥ kaścidabhūdbhūdevasattamaḥ..
tasya putro mahātejāḥ śivaśarmeti viśrutaḥ.. 1 ..
adhītyavedānvidhivadarthaṃ vijñāya tattvataḥ..
paṭhitvā dharmaśāstrāṇi purāṇānyadhigamya ca..2..
aṃgānyabhyasya tarkāṃśca pariloḍya samaṃtataḥ..
mīmāṃsādvayamālokya dhanurvedaṃ vigāhya ca..3..
āyurvedaṃ vicāryāpi nāṭyavede kṛtaśramaḥ ..
arthaśāstrāṇyanekāni prāpyāśvagajaceṣṭitam .. 4 ..
kalāsu ca kṛtābhyāso mantraśāstravicakṣaṇaḥ ..
bhāṣāśca nānā deśānāṃ lipīrjñātvā videśajāḥ .. 5 ..
arthānupārjya dharmeṇa bhuktvā bhogānyadṛcchayā ..
utpādya putrānsuguṇāṃstebhyo hyarthaṃ vibhajya ca .. 6 ..
yauvanaṃ gatvaraṃ jñātvā jarāṃ dṛṣṭvāśritāṃ śrutim ..
cintāmavāpa mahatī śivaśarmā dvijottamaḥ .. 7 ..
paṭhato me gataḥ kālastathopārjayato dhanam ..
nārādhito maheśānaḥ karmanirmūlanakṣamaḥ .. 8 ..
na mayā toṣito viṣṇuḥ sarvapāpaharo hariḥ ..
sarvakāmaprado nṛṇāṃ gaṇeśo nārcito mayā .. 9 ..
tamastomaharaḥ sūryo nārci to vai mayā kvacit ..
mahāmāyā jagaddhātrī na dhyātā bhavabaṃdhahṛt .. 4.1.7.10 ..
na prīṇitā mayā devā yajñaiḥ sarvaiḥ samṛddhidāḥ ..
tulasīvana śuśrūṣā na kṛtā pāpaśāṃtaye .. 11 ..
na mayā tarpitā viprā mṛṣṭānnairmadhurai rasaiḥ ..
ihāpi ca paratrāpi vipadāmanutārakāḥ .. 12 ..
bahupuṣpaphalopetāḥ succhāyāḥ snigdhapallavāḥ ..
pathi nāropitā vṛkṣā ihāmutraphalapradāḥ .. 13 ..
dukūlaiḥ svānukūlaiśca colaiḥ pratyaṃgabhūṣaṇaiḥ ..
nālaṃkṛtāḥ suvāsinya ihāmutrasuvāsadāḥ .. 14 ..
dvijāya norvarā dattā yamalokanivāriṇī ..
suvarṇaṃ na suvarṇāya dattaṃ duritahṛtparam..15..

Agasti said:
There was in Mathurā a certain twice-born, the best of brahmins;
his son of great splendor was celebrated as Śivaśarman.
Having studied the Vedas according to rule and having understood their meaning in truth,
having read the treatises on righteousness and mastered the Purāṇas,
having practiced the auxiliary disciplines and examined the systems of reasoning on every side,
having scrutinized both Mīmāṃsās and plunged into archery,
having reflected upon medicine and exerted effort in the art of drama,
having acquired many treatises on governance and the movements of horses and elephants,
having practiced the arts and become learned in the treatises on sacred formulas,
having known the languages of various lands and the scripts originating in foreign countries,
having acquired wealth righteously and enjoyed pleasures at will,
having fathered virtuous sons and divided his wealth among them,
perceiving youth to be fleeting and seeing old age approaching the ears,
the best of brahmins, Śivaśarman, fell into deep worry:
'My time passed in studying and likewise in acquiring wealth;
Maheśāna, who is capable of uprooting past action, was not worshiped!
Viṣṇu, Hari who takes away all sin, was not propitiated by me;
Gaṇeśa, who bestows all desires upon men, was not revered by me!
The Sun, who dispels masses of darkness, was never revered by me;
Mahāmāyā, the bearer of the universe who removes worldly bondage, was not meditated upon!
The gods who bestow prosperity through all sacrifices were not pleased by me;
service to a grove of sacred basil was not performed for the pacification of sin!
Brahmins—who bring relief from misfortunes both here and in the hereafter—
were not satiated by me with sweet, pleasant food and delicious juices!
Trees, endowed with abundant flowers and fruits, good shade, and glossy leaves,
bestowing fruit here and hereafter, were not planted along the road!
Fair women living with their husbands, bestowing a good abode here and hereafter,
were not adorned with pleasing silks, garments, and ornaments for each limb!
Fertile land, which wards off the realm of Yama, was not given to a brahmin;
gold, the supreme remover of wrongdoing, was not given to a virtuous person!