Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 112
ब्राह्मणानां कुले जातो जातिमात्रो यदा भवेत् । अनुपेतः क्रियाहीनो मात्र इत्यभिधीयते
brāhmaṇānāṃ kule jāto jātimātro yadā bhavet | anupetaḥ kriyāhīno mātra ityabhidhīyate
When one is born in a brāhmaṇa family yet is brāhmaṇa only by birth—uninitiated by upanayana and devoid of the prescribed duties—he is called “mātra”, a mere-born.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), contextually within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration to the sages
Listener: vipra (interlocutor)
Scene: A young man wearing no sacred thread stands before a ritual fire that is unlit; beside him a guru offers the yajñopavīta and a ladle, indicating initiation and duty; a shadow labeled 'jāti-mātra' fades as he accepts discipline.
FAQs
Birth alone is not the full measure; initiation and lived dharma are essential to religious identity and merit.
No site is mentioned; the focus is on dharma qualifications.
Upanayana (initiation) is implicitly referenced as a key rite whose absence marks deficiency.