Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
ऋषय ऊचुः । नारद उवाच । अष्टादश प्रकृतयः का वदस्व पितामह । वृत्तिस्तासां च को धर्मः सर्वं विस्तरतो मम
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | nārada uvāca | aṣṭādaśa prakṛtayaḥ kā vadasva pitāmaha | vṛttistāsāṃ ca ko dharmaḥ sarvaṃ vistarato mama
Les sages dirent. Nārada dit : « Ô Grand-Père (Brahmā), dis-moi quelles sont les dix-huit “natures/classes”, et quel moyen d’existence ainsi que quel dharma leur appartiennent — expose-moi tout en détail. »
Nārada (with introductory cue ‘Ṛṣayaḥ ūcuḥ’ preserved)
Listener: Śaunaka and other sages (implied outer audience); within, Nārada addresses Brahmā
Scene: Brahmā seated on a lotus instructs Nārada, who holds a vīṇā and gestures inquisitively; around them are symbolic emblems of various livelihoods/classes (plough, scriptures, trade scales, tools).
FAQs
True dharma includes understanding one’s duties and rightful livelihood within the cosmic and social order.
This verse opens a doctrinal inquiry; the broader frame remains within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrtha-māhātmya stream rather than naming a new tīrtha here.
None; it is a request for teaching about dharma and occupations.