Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87
ब्राह्मणो न भवेत्सोऽत्र यद्यपि स्यात्षडंगवित् । अपरं लिंगभेदस्ते संजातः कपटादिषु
brāhmaṇo na bhavetso'tra yadyapi syātṣaḍaṃgavit | aparaṃ liṃgabhedaste saṃjātaḥ kapaṭādiṣu
तो येथे खरा ब्राह्मण ठरत नाही, जरी तो षडंगांचा ज्ञाता असला तरी. आणि तुझ्यात अधःपतनाचे आणखी एक लक्षण उत्पन्न झाले आहे—कपट इत्यादी.
Narrative voice (speaker not explicitly marked in this verse; likely continuation of admonitory discourse preceding the named speakers)
Scene: Durvāsā’s stern gaze addresses a learned but morally compromised brāhmaṇa; the contrast is shown between Vedic manuscripts/ṣaḍaṅga symbols and a shadowy aura of deceit around the listener.
FAQs
Learning alone does not establish dharma; inner integrity is the real ‘mark’ of a brāhmaṇa.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as ethical instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse critiques hypocrisy and moral decline despite Vedic learning.