Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 10
ब्राह्मणो ह्यनधीयानस्तृणाग्निरिव शाम्यति । तस्मै हव्यं न दातव्यं न हि भस्मनि हूयते
brāhmaṇo hyanadhīyānastṛṇāgniriva śāmyati | tasmai havyaṃ na dātavyaṃ na hi bhasmani hūyate
El brāhmaṇa que no estudia el Veda se apaga como un fuego de hierba. Por ello no debe dársele havya, pues las oblaciones no se vierten sobre cenizas.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa default)
Scene: A vivid allegory: a bright sacrificial fire beside a learned brāhmaṇa reciting; contrasted with a heap of cold ashes near an unstudied brāhmaṇa—an oblation ladle pauses, refusing to pour into ashes.
FAQs
Learning and discipline sustain spiritual potency; without study, religious capacity withers.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse teaches a dharmic standard for offerings.
Havya (sacrificially intended gifts/oblations) should not be given to a brāhmaṇa who neglects Vedic study.