Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
यस्य वा गुणसन्दोहस्तस्य नो रूपमुत्तमम् । पक्षपातं च वित्तं च तथान्यद्वरलक्षणम्
yasya vā guṇasandohastasya no rūpamuttamam | pakṣapātaṃ ca vittaṃ ca tathānyadvaralakṣaṇam
قد يجتمع في المرء حشدٌ من الفضائل، ومع ذلك قد تغيب عنه بهاءُ الصورة العُليا؛ وفي آخر قد توجد المحاباةُ والثراءُ وسائرُ العلامات التي تُلتمس في العريس.
Sūta (contextual continuation)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Three archetypal suitors: one virtuous but plain; one wealthy with attendants and gifts; one backed by influential patrons showing favoritism; the brāhmaṇa weighs them, resisting social pressure.
FAQs
Worldly markers—beauty, wealth, influence—are unstable measures; dharma urges careful evaluation of virtues and intentions.
Not directly; the verse supports the broader pilgrimage narrative that culminates in a named kṣetra.
None; it is an ethical reflection on qualifications and social conduct.