Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24
राजोवाच । शृण्वंतु ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे अन्यदेहोद्भवं मम । पुराऽहं शूद्रजातीय आसं ब्राह्मणपूजकः
rājovāca | śṛṇvaṃtu brāhmaṇāḥ sarve anyadehodbhavaṃ mama | purā'haṃ śūdrajātīya āsaṃ brāhmaṇapūjakaḥ
രാജാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—എല്ലാ ബ്രാഹ്മണരും കേൾക്കുക; ഇത് എന്റെ മുൻദേഹത്തിലെ കഥയാണ്. പണ്ടെ ഞാൻ ശൂദ്രജാതിയിൽ പിറന്നവനായിരുന്നെങ്കിലും ബ്രാഹ്മണപൂജകനായിരുന്നു।
King (rājā)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇāḥ / Ṛṣayaḥ (assembled sages)
Scene: The king, with folded hands and lowered gaze, begins recounting his former life as a śūdra devoted to honoring brāhmaṇas; sages listen attentively in a sacred assembly.
FAQs
Spiritual merit is accessible through humility and service; honoring the learned and virtuous elevates one beyond prior limitations.
The larger frame is Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya; this verse begins the king’s backstory leading into tīrtha merit.
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā (reverent honoring/service of brāhmaṇas) is indicated as a dharmic practice.