Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87
ब्राह्मणो न भवेत्सोऽत्र यद्यपि स्यात्षडंगवित् । अपरं लिंगभेदस्ते संजातः कपटादिषु
brāhmaṇo na bhavetso'tra yadyapi syātṣaḍaṃgavit | aparaṃ liṃgabhedaste saṃjātaḥ kapaṭādiṣu
Ici, il ne serait pas un brāhmaṇa véritable, même s’il connaissait les six auxiliaires (ṣaḍaṅga) du Veda. De plus, en toi s’est levé un autre « signe » de déchéance : la tromperie et autres semblables.
Narrative voice (speaker not explicitly marked in this verse; likely continuation of admonitory discourse preceding the named speakers)
Scene: Durvāsā’s stern gaze addresses a learned but morally compromised brāhmaṇa; the contrast is shown between Vedic manuscripts/ṣaḍaṅga symbols and a shadowy aura of deceit around the listener.
FAQs
Learning alone does not establish dharma; inner integrity is the real ‘mark’ of a brāhmaṇa.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as ethical instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse critiques hypocrisy and moral decline despite Vedic learning.