Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20
वृत्तिरध्यापनाच्चैव तथा स्वल्पप्रतिग्रहात् । विप्रः समर्थस्तपसा यद्यपि स्यात्प्रतिग्रहे
vṛttiradhyāpanāccaiva tathā svalpapratigrahāt | vipraḥ samarthastapasā yadyapi syātpratigrahe
Der Lebensunterhalt eines Brāhmaṇa soll durch Lehren bestehen und durch das Annehmen nur einer kleinen Gabe, selbst wenn er durch Askese fähig wäre, mehr zu empfangen.
Brahmā (deduced)
Scene: A teacher-sage instructs on brāhmaṇa livelihood: palm-leaf texts, students seated, a small offering bowl indicating ‘sv-alpa pratigraha’.
FAQs
Spiritual authority is protected by restraint—especially restraint in accepting wealth—even when one has the power or status to obtain more.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the moral framework commonly embedded in tīrtha-māhātmya narratives.
It prescribes right livelihood: teaching as a dharmic profession and accepting only limited gifts (svalpa-pratigraha).