Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 131
मध्यैश्च मध्यतां याति श्रेष्ठतां याति चोत्तमैः । इति धर्मं स्मरन्नाहं संगमार्थी पुनस्तव । यन्निन्दसि द्विजानेव यैरपेयोऽर्णवः कृतः
madhyaiśca madhyatāṃ yāti śreṣṭhatāṃ yāti cottamaiḥ | iti dharmaṃ smarannāhaṃ saṃgamārthī punastava | yannindasi dvijāneva yairapeyo'rṇavaḥ kṛtaḥ
Avec les médiocres on devient médiocre ; avec les excellents on s’élève à l’excellence. Me souvenant de ce dharma, je recherche encore ta compagnie ; pourtant tu outrages les dvija, par qui même l’océan fut rendu impropre à boire.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced; verse contains a direct address to 'you')
Scene: Two figures in dialogue: one earnest seeker requesting companionship; the other scornful, gesturing dismissively toward brāhmaṇas. In the distance, the ocean appears darkened/undrinkable as a symbolic memory of brāhmaṇa potency.
FAQs
One’s level is shaped by one’s company; dharma also requires respect for the learned and the twice-born.
No specific tīrtha is named; the ocean reference is mythic illustration rather than a site-mahātmya.
No direct ritual is stated; it prescribes ethical conduct—seeking noble company and refraining from reviling dvijas.