Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
ऋषय ऊचुः । तामसो यस्त्वया प्रोक्तः सिद्धिमार्गो महामते । अनर्हो ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणां श्रोत्रियाणां विशेषतः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | tāmaso yastvayā proktaḥ siddhimārgo mahāmate | anarho brāhmaṇendrāṇāṃ śrotriyāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ
ഋഷികൾ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹാമതേ! നിങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞ സിദ്ധിയിലേക്കുള്ള താമസ മാർഗം ബ്രാഹ്മണേന്ദ്രന്മാർക്കും, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ശ്രോത്രിയ പണ്ഡിതന്മാർക്കും, യോജ്യമല്ല.
Ṛṣis (sages) addressing Sūta
Listener: Sūta
Scene: A circle of sages raises a respectful objection to the narrator: their faces calm but firm; palm-leaf texts and kuśa grass indicate śrotriya identity; the background suggests the kṣetra but focus is on ethical debate.
FAQs
Not every ‘power-path’ is dhārmic; the learned insist that brāhmaṇas should avoid tāmasika means and seek purity-aligned liberation.
The verse is part of the same kṣetra narrative (Citreśvarīpīṭha/Hāṭakeśvara), but focuses on ethical qualification rather than geography.
A prohibition/qualification is stated: śrotriya brāhmaṇas should not follow tāmasika siddhi-mārga.