Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47
वेदबाह्याः प्रनष्टास्ते उत्तमाधममध्यमाः । षट्त्रिंशच्च सहस्राणि येऽभूवन्गोभुजाः पुरा
vedabāhyāḥ pranaṣṭāste uttamādhamamadhyamāḥ | ṣaṭtriṃśacca sahasrāṇi ye'bhūvangobhujāḥ purā
Jene, die vom Veda abwichen und so ins Verderben fielen—ob als hoch, niedrig oder mittel angesehen—waren einst sechsunddreißigtausend und lebten als Rinderhirten.
Unknown (narrative voice within Brāhma Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta-style narration)
Scene: A large group of people portrayed as rustic cowherds, with a subtle aura of loss—broken ritual implements, neglected fires—suggesting a community that has drifted from Vedic order.
FAQs
Leaving Vedic dharma (right conduct and sacred order) leads to decline, regardless of one’s social rank.
The immediate focus is not a single tīrtha but the Dharmāraṇya setting and its dharma-centered narrative frame.
No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets a moral-historical context.