Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
यस्य वा गुणसन्दोहस्तस्य नो रूपमुत्तमम् । पक्षपातं च वित्तं च तथान्यद्वरलक्षणम्
yasya vā guṇasandohastasya no rūpamuttamam | pakṣapātaṃ ca vittaṃ ca tathānyadvaralakṣaṇam
അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഗുണസമൂഹമുള്ളവനിൽ ഉത്തമരൂപം ഇല്ല; മറ്റൊരിടത്ത് പക്ഷപാതം, ധനം എന്നിവയും വരന്റെ മറ്റു ലക്ഷണങ്ങളും മാത്രമേ കൂടുതലായി കാണപ്പെടൂ।
Sūta (contextual continuation)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Three archetypal suitors: one virtuous but plain; one wealthy with attendants and gifts; one backed by influential patrons showing favoritism; the brāhmaṇa weighs them, resisting social pressure.
FAQs
Worldly markers—beauty, wealth, influence—are unstable measures; dharma urges careful evaluation of virtues and intentions.
Not directly; the verse supports the broader pilgrimage narrative that culminates in a named kṣetra.
None; it is an ethical reflection on qualifications and social conduct.