Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16
न शूद्रस्य पृथग्धर्मो विहितः परमेष्ठिना । न मन्त्रो न च संस्कारो न विद्यापरिसेवनम्
na śūdrasya pṛthagdharmo vihitaḥ parameṣṭhinā | na mantro na ca saṃskāro na vidyāparisevanam
Für den Śūdra hat Parameṣṭhin kein eigenes, gesondertes Dharma festgelegt: weder vedische Mantra-Rezitation noch Sakramente (saṃskāra) noch formales Streben nach heiliger Gelehrsamkeit.
Unknown (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely a Purāṇic teacher addressing a listener within the Revā-māhātmya frame)
Tirtha: Revā (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A teacher-sage sits with palm-leaf texts and ritual implements set aside, gesturing toward a devotee engaged in humble service rather than Vedic recitation; the river-tīrtha remains in the background as witness.
FAQs
The passage frames dharma as role-defined and tradition-defined, distinguishing eligibility for certain Vedic practices while still situating all within an overarching moral order.
No specific tirtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa setting associated with the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region.
It mentions the absence (for this category) of Vedic mantra usage and Vedic saṃskāras, and the non-prescription of formal śāstric study.