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
Le brāhmaṇa qui n’étudie pas le Veda s’éteint comme un feu d’herbes. Aussi ne faut-il pas lui donner le havya, car on ne verse pas les oblations sur des cendres.
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.