Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27
गां विक्रीणाति चेद्देवि ब्राह्मणो ज्ञानदुर्बलः । नासौ प्रशस्यते पात्रं ब्राह्मणो नैव स स्मृतः
gāṃ vikrīṇāti ceddevi brāhmaṇo jñānadurbalaḥ | nāsau praśasyate pātraṃ brāhmaṇo naiva sa smṛtaḥ
يا ديفي، إنْ باعَ براهمنٌ ضعيفُ البصيرةِ في المعرفةِ الحقّة بقرةً، فلا يُمدَحُ على أنه وعاءٌ جديرٌ بالتلقّي (pātra)؛ بل لا يُعَدّ براهمنًا على المعنى القويم.
Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narration)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī
Scene: A moral tableau: a brāhmaṇa with downcast gaze attempts to sell a cow in a market-like setting; a wise elder gestures in admonition; the tīrtha backdrop reminds that pilgrimage requires ethical purity.
FAQs
Sacred wealth like the cow should be protected, not commodified; dharma is measured by conduct and discernment, not merely by status.
The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, linking ethical dāna-dharma to the sanctity of Prabhāsa.
A normative rule is implied: avoid selling cows; only those aligned with dharma are suitable recipients in acts of charity.