Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 83
तमेव नीलमित्याहुर्नीलः पञ्चविधः स्मृतः । यस्तु वैश्यगृहे जातः स वै नीलो विशिष्यते
tameva nīlamityāhurnīlaḥ pañcavidhaḥ smṛtaḥ | yastu vaiśyagṛhe jātaḥ sa vai nīlo viśiṣyate
അതിനെ തന്നെയാണ് ‘നീല’ എന്നു പറയുന്നത്; ‘നീല’ അഞ്ചുവിധമാണെന്ന് സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയുന്നു. എന്നാൽ വൈശ്യഗൃഹത്തിൽ ജനിച്ച നീലൻ പ്രത്യേകമായി ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.
Unspecified in snippet (Revā-khaṇḍa narrator)
Scene: A learned narrator enumerates five ‘nīla’ types before an attentive listener; in the background, a cow-shed and merchants’ household motifs subtly indicate the Vaiśya context, with palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual vessels suggesting dharma-śāstra authority.
FAQs
Puranic ritual discourse often codifies categories and gradations, emphasizing careful adherence to traditional definitions.
The Revā-khaṇḍa tīrtha context of Adhyāya 146 (not named in this verse).
A fivefold classification of ‘nīla’ bulls is noted, with one subtype (born in a Vaiśya household) praised as superior.