Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2
ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्यास्त्रयो वर्णा द्विजाः स्मृताः । प्रथमं मातृतो जाता द्वितीयं चोपनायनात्
brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāstrayo varṇā dvijāḥ smṛtāḥ | prathamaṃ mātṛto jātā dvitīyaṃ copanāyanāt
Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, dan Vaiśya—tiga varṇa ini dikenang sebagai dvija (dua kali lahir): pertama lahir dari ibu, dan kedua lahir melalui upanayana (inisiasi).
Skanda (contextual continuity from 36.1)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kumbhaja (Agastya)
Scene: A concise didactic tableau: a young initiate receiving the sacred thread (yajñopavīta) from a teacher, with mother in the background symbolizing first birth; the scene conveys ‘second birth’ through ritual fire and mantra.
FAQs
Spiritual life is formally ‘reborn’ through upanayana, marking entry into disciplined study and Vedic duties.
The frame remains Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, presenting dharmic formation and learning as integral to Kāśī’s sacred culture.
Upanayana is identified as the rite that constitutes the ‘second birth’ for the three dvija varṇas.