Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 71
व्रते श्राद्धे तथा दाने दूरतस्तान् विवर्जयेत् । आयसी तरुणी तुल्या द्विजाः स्वाध्यायवर्जिताः
vrate śrāddhe tathā dāne dūratastān vivarjayet | āyasī taruṇī tulyā dvijāḥ svādhyāyavarjitāḥ
Dans l’observance d’un vœu, dans le śrāddha et de même dans l’aumône, il faut les tenir à distance. Les deux-fois-nés privés d’étude védique sont semblables à une jeune femme de fer : séduisante d’aspect, mais stérile quant à sa vraie fonction.
Skanda (contextual attribution within Revā Khaṇḍa narration)
Scene: A śrāddha setting with offerings prepared; a learned priest recites with steadiness while an unlearned dvija is shown as an empty presence, underscored by the metaphor of an iron maiden—beautiful yet sterile.
FAQs
Religious identity without disciplined learning and practice is hollow; merit depends on substance, not label.
The broader discourse belongs to the Someshvara tradition within Revā Khaṇḍa.
In vrata, śrāddha, and dāna, avoid those lacking svādhyāya as unfit for sacred participation/receiving.