Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77
ब्राह्मण्याद्धीयते विप्रः शूद्रो धर्माच्च हीयते । धर्मोपदेशः शूद्राणां स्वश्रेयः प्रतिघातयेत्
brāhmaṇyāddhīyate vipraḥ śūdro dharmācca hīyate | dharmopadeśaḥ śūdrāṇāṃ svaśreyaḥ pratighātayet
Ein vipra sinkt herab, wenn er von der brāhmaṇya, dem rechten brahmanischen Wandel, abweicht; und ein Śūdra sinkt herab, wenn er von seiner dharma abweicht. Es heißt, die Unterweisung der Śūdras in dharma beeinträchtige das eigene geistige Heil.
Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)
Scene: A guru addresses a student with a manuscript on dharma; behind them, figures representing different social roles perform their duties; the composition emphasizes ‘svadharma’ as ordered harmony, with a serious, instructional tone.
FAQs
Each person is urged to remain steady in their prescribed duties; the verse frames spiritual stability as arising from adherence to one’s traditional dharma.
No tīrtha is referenced; the focus is normative dharma teaching.
A restriction concerning dharma instruction to Śūdras, presented as a rule of conduct within this section.