Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87
पृष्टश्च किमिदं कर्म तवांत्यजजनोचितम् । एषा वेदात्मिका वाणी स्पष्टाक्षरकलस्वना । तत्किं शापपरिभ्रष्टस्त्वं कश्चिद्ब्राह्मणोत्तमः
pṛṣṭaśca kimidaṃ karma tavāṃtyajajanocitam | eṣā vedātmikā vāṇī spaṣṭākṣarakalasvanā | tatkiṃ śāpaparibhraṣṭastvaṃ kaścidbrāhmaṇottamaḥ
Et on lui demanda : « Pourquoi accomplis-tu cette tâche qui sied à un antyaja ? Pourtant ta parole est de nature védique, aux syllabes nettes et au ton harmonieux. Serais-tu quelque brāhmaṇa éminent, déchu de son rang par l’effet d’une malédiction ? »
Brāhmaṇas led by Devaśarmā (interrogating the beaten man)
Type: kshetra
Scene: At a riverside or shrine precinct, a refined-speaking figure engaged in menial/antyaja-coded labor is questioned by a brāhmaṇa or pilgrim; the contrast between humble action and luminous, Vedic speech is central.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma urges discernment: sacred qualities (Vedic speech, saṃskāra) may exist beneath surprising circumstances, and suffering may arise from past causes such as śāpa.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a turning point in the tīrtha-māhātmya story where hidden identity is recognized.
No explicit prescription; the verse highlights vedātmikā vāṇī (Vedic recitation/intonation) and upholds Vedic discipline as a sign of dharmic identity.