Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
त्रितस्तेषां कनिष्ठोऽभूद्वेदवेदांगपारगः । सर्वैरेव गुणैर्युक्तो मूर्खो ज्येष्ठौ बभूवतुः
tritasteṣāṃ kaniṣṭho'bhūdvedavedāṃgapāragaḥ | sarvaireva guṇairyukto mūrkho jyeṣṭhau babhūvatuḥ
അവരിൽ ത്രിത കനിഷ്ഠൻ; അവൻ വേദവും വേദാംഗങ്ങളും പാരംഗതനായി. സർവ്വഗുണസമ്പന്നനായ അവൻ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ; എന്നാൽ രണ്ടു ജ്യേഷ്ഠന്മാർ മൂഢരായി തന്നെ നിന്നു.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in the excerpt)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa
Type: kshetra
Scene: Three princes grown: Trita depicted with manuscripts and sacred thread, calm brilliance; elder brothers shown inattentive, turning away from study—moral contrast without caricature.
FAQs
True excellence is grounded in learning and virtue; seniority alone does not confer wisdom.
The broader narrative belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), whose sanctity frames the episode.
None directly; the verse establishes character and competence for later sacrificial actions.