Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37
वैदिकं च पुरस्कृत्य ब्राह्मणाः शूद्रयाजकाः । दरिद्रिणो भविष्यंति प्रतिग्रहरताः सदा
vaidikaṃ ca puraskṛtya brāhmaṇāḥ śūdrayājakāḥ | daridriṇo bhaviṣyaṃti pratigraharatāḥ sadā
“Dengan menjunjung Veda hanya sebagai sandiwara, para brāhmaṇa yang memimpin yajña bagi śūdra akan menjadi miskin, dan senantiasa kecanduan menerima pemberian.”
Nandin (deduced from surrounding narrative)
Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame; not explicit)
Scene: A didactic tableau: a priest wearing Vedic insignia accepts gifts repeatedly, his household turning poor and anxious; behind, a radiant ideal brāhmaṇa studies calmly—contrast of greed vs integrity.
FAQs
Religious authority used as a pretext for livelihood and greed leads to spiritual and social decline.
The Kedāra-kṣetra frame continues, but the verse itself is a moral warning within that pilgrimage narrative.
No positive rite is prescribed; it cautions against improper officiation and excessive attachment to gifts (pratigraha).