Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32
विप्रवेषं समास्थाय शूद्रो भूत्वा प्रतिग्रहम् । तृणकाष्ठसमं वापि प्रतिगृह्य पतत्यधः
vipraveṣaṃ samāsthāya śūdro bhūtvā pratigraham | tṛṇakāṣṭhasamaṃ vāpi pratigṛhya patatyadhaḥ
Seorang śūdra yang mengenakan rupa brāhmaṇa lalu membiasakan diri menerima dana, meski yang diterimanya hanya selemah rumput atau kayu, tetap jatuh ke kehancuran (ke bawah).
Skanda (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A man in borrowed sacred thread and brāhmaṇa attire stretches out his hand for alms; the gift is mere grass/wood, yet shadowy forces pull him downward, illustrating that deceit—not the object’s value—causes the fall.
FAQs
Religious status cannot be faked for profit; deceit in sacred contexts leads to spiritual downfall.
The warning is delivered within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, applying to conduct at that tīrtha.
A prohibition: do not accept gifts under false religious identity; avoid pratigrāha rooted in deception.