Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 128
न नीचैर्नाप्यविद्वद्भिर्नानात्मज्ञैर्विशेषतः । येषां त्रीण्यवदातानि योनिर्विद्या च कर्म च
na nīcairnāpyavidvadbhirnānātmajñairviśeṣataḥ | yeṣāṃ trīṇyavadātāni yonirvidyā ca karma ca
নীচলোকৰ সৈতে নহয়, অশিক্ষিতৰ সৈতে নহয়—বিশেষকৈ আত্মজ্ঞানহীনৰ সৈতে নহয়। যিসকলৰ তিনিটা বস্তু নির্মল—কুল, বিদ্যা আৰু কৰ্ম—তেনে লোককেই সন্ধান কৰা।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced)
Scene: A seeker at a crossroads evaluating groups: one group noisy and coarse; another group composed, learned, and self-possessed; three luminous emblems hover near the worthy group—kula, vidyā, karma—depicted as a lamp, book, and balanced scale.
FAQs
Choose company that supports dharma: purity in conduct, learning, and rooted values; avoid association that breeds ignorance.
No tīrtha is specified; the verse is ethical instruction meant to guide seekers in any sacred setting.
None; it is a social-ethical prescription about whom to associate with.