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
মাত্র বুদ্ধিমানদের চেয়ে সুশীল মানুষ শ্রেষ্ঠ; তাদের চেয়েও বাডবগণ শ্রেষ্ঠ; ব্রাহ্মণদের চেয়েও সত্য বিদ্বান শ্রেষ্ঠ; আর বিদ্বানদের চেয়েও কৃতবুদ্ধি—পরিপক্ব ও সংযত বোধসম্পন্ন—শ্রেষ্ঠ।
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).