Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41
उत्तमानुत्तमानेव गच्छन्हीनांश्च वर्जयन् । ब्राह्मणः श्रेष्ठतामेति प्रत्यवाये न शूद्रताम्
uttamānuttamāneva gacchanhīnāṃśca varjayan | brāhmaṇaḥ śreṣṭhatāmeti pratyavāye na śūdratām
Dengan bergaul hanya dengan yang unggul dan paling unggul serta menjauhi yang rendah, seorang brāhmaṇa meraih kemuliaan. Namun bila jatuh pada laku yang menyimpang, ia tidak terangkat—ia merosot ke keadaan hina.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim stands at a crossroads in Kāśī: one path leads to a luminous assembly of sages; the other to a shadowy crowd of vice. He chooses the luminous path; above, a scale balances ‘ācāra’ against ‘pratyavāya’.
FAQs
One’s dharmic stature is preserved and elevated by noble association and lost by transgressive, degrading conduct.
The teaching is situated in Kāśī-khaṇḍa, implying that life in a sacred city should be matched by elevated conduct and company.
None; it is a prescriptive rule of conduct (ācāra) concerning association and moral decline.