Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65
जातमात्रः शिशुस्तावद्यावदष्टौ समाः स्मृताः । भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु नो दु्ष्येद्यावन्नैवोपनीयते
jātamātraḥ śiśustāvadyāvadaṣṭau samāḥ smṛtāḥ | bhakṣyābhakṣyeṣu no du्ṣyedyāvannaivopanīyate
A child is said to be regarded as ‘newborn’ up to eight years; and until the upanayana has been performed, he is not held blameworthy regarding what is edible and inedible.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A small child in Kāśī near a guru’s abode, holding a simple toy or fruit; elders discuss upanayana and dietary discipline. A sacred thread ceremony is hinted by a yajñopavīta and a small altar in the background.
FAQs
Moral responsibility is gradual; before initiation and maturity, a child is treated with leniency in rule-based matters such as dietary prohibitions.
The instruction is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma discourse in the sacred setting of Kāśī.
Upanayana (initiation) is referenced as the threshold after which stricter dharmic accountability applies.