Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47
वेदबाह्याः प्रनष्टास्ते उत्तमाधममध्यमाः । षट्त्रिंशच्च सहस्राणि येऽभूवन्गोभुजाः पुरा
vedabāhyāḥ pranaṣṭāste uttamādhamamadhyamāḥ | ṣaṭtriṃśacca sahasrāṇi ye'bhūvangobhujāḥ purā
जे वेदबाह्य मार्गाने भरकटून नष्ट झाले होते—उत्तम, अधम वा मध्यम—ते पूर्वकाळी छत्तीस हजार संख्येने गोपालक होते।
Unknown (narrative voice within Brāhma Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta-style narration)
Scene: A large group of people portrayed as rustic cowherds, with a subtle aura of loss—broken ritual implements, neglected fires—suggesting a community that has drifted from Vedic order.
FAQs
Leaving Vedic dharma (right conduct and sacred order) leads to decline, regardless of one’s social rank.
The immediate focus is not a single tīrtha but the Dharmāraṇya setting and its dharma-centered narrative frame.
No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets a moral-historical context.