Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 83
तमेव नीलमित्याहुर्नीलः पञ्चविधः स्मृतः । यस्तु वैश्यगृहे जातः स वै नीलो विशिष्यते
tameva nīlamityāhurnīlaḥ pañcavidhaḥ smṛtaḥ | yastu vaiśyagṛhe jātaḥ sa vai nīlo viśiṣyate
C’est bien cela qu’on appelle « nīla » ; et l’on se souvient que le nīla est de cinq sortes. Mais celui qui naît dans une maison de Vaiśya est tenu pour le nīla le plus éminent.
Unspecified in snippet (Revā-khaṇḍa narrator)
Scene: A learned narrator enumerates five ‘nīla’ types before an attentive listener; in the background, a cow-shed and merchants’ household motifs subtly indicate the Vaiśya context, with palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual vessels suggesting dharma-śāstra authority.
FAQs
Puranic ritual discourse often codifies categories and gradations, emphasizing careful adherence to traditional definitions.
The Revā-khaṇḍa tīrtha context of Adhyāya 146 (not named in this verse).
A fivefold classification of ‘nīla’ bulls is noted, with one subtype (born in a Vaiśya household) praised as superior.