Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5
व्यास उवाच । स्थावराः कृमयोऽब्जाश्च पक्षिणः पशवो नराः । क्रमेण धार्मिकास्त्वेत एतेभ्यो धार्मिकाः सुराः
vyāsa uvāca | sthāvarāḥ kṛmayo'bjāśca pakṣiṇaḥ paśavo narāḥ | krameṇa dhārmikāstveta etebhyo dhārmikāḥ surāḥ
Vyāsa bersabda: makhluk yang tidak bergerak, cacing, yang lahir di air, burung, binatang, dan manusia—semuanya meningkat tahap demi tahap dalam keupayaan menegakkan Dharma; dan melampaui mereka, para dewa lebih dharmika lagi.
Vyāsa
Listener: Bhārata (Janamejaya)
Scene: Vyāsa teaching a graded ‘ladder’ of life: plants/immobile beings, worms, aquatic beings, birds, beasts, humans, and devas above—shown as ascending tiers around a seated sage.
FAQs
Greater awareness and refinement bring greater responsibility and aptitude for dharma.
No specific tirtha is named; the verse sets a doctrinal frame for dharmic instruction within Dharmāraṇya.
None; it provides a graded cosmological-ethical teaching to support later prescriptions.