Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
एवमुक्तः स वै विप्रः करोत्येवाभिवादनम् । न वर्णावरजं वेत्ति बालभावाद्वरानने
evamuktaḥ sa vai vipraḥ karotyevābhivādanam | na varṇāvarajaṃ vetti bālabhāvādvarānane
ഇങ്ങനെ ഉപദേശിക്കപ്പെട്ട ആ ബാലവിപ്രൻ അഭിവാദ്യം ചെയ്തു; എന്നാൽ ഹേ സുന്ദരമുഖീ, ബാല്യഭാവം മൂലം വർണങ്ങളുടെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠ-കനിഷ്ഠ ക്രമം അവൻ അറിഞ്ഞില്ല।
Narrator (addressing a listener as varānane; specific identity not explicit in this excerpt)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Varānane/Bhāminī (addressed female listener within the frame narrative)
Scene: A bark-clad brahmacārin boy offers salutations with sincere devotion yet confused etiquette; a gentle, fair-faced interlocutor is implied by the address (varānane).
FAQs
Saṃskāra begins practice, but discernment matures gradually; dharma is learned through training and time.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the māhātmya embeds teachings on conduct within its sacred narrative world.
Abhivādana is performed; the verse notes imperfect understanding due to the boy’s age.