Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 8
मतिमद्भ्यो नराः श्रेष्ठास्तेभ्य श्रेष्ठास्तु वाडवाः । विप्रेभ्योऽपि च विद्वांसो विद्वद्भ्यः कृतबुद्धयः
matimadbhyo narāḥ śreṣṭhāstebhya śreṣṭhāstu vāḍavāḥ | viprebhyo'pi ca vidvāṃso vidvadbhyaḥ kṛtabuddhayaḥ
وأرفعُ من أصحاب الذكاء وحده هم البشر ذوو الخُلُق المهذّب؛ وأرفعُ منهم الـvāḍava؛ وأرفعُ حتى من البراهمة هم العلماء حقًّا؛ وأرفعُ من العلماء هم الذين اكتملت بصيرتهم وانضبط فهمهم.
Vyāsa (contextual continuation)
Listener: Bhārata (Janamejaya)
Scene: A didactic tableau: figures representing ‘intelligent’, ‘cultivated human’, ‘brāhmaṇa’, ‘learned scholar’, and ‘kṛta-buddhi’ yogin—shown not by caste markers alone but by posture: debate, study, meditation, service, and serene realization.
FAQs
True superiority is measured not by birth or mere cleverness, but by learning and a disciplined, perfected understanding.
No direct tirtha reference; the verse continues Dharmāraṇya’s ethical teaching by ranking virtues and capacities.
None; it emphasizes cultivation of learning and kṛta-buddhi (mature discernment).