Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7
सप्तमेथाष्टमेवाब्दे सावित्रीं ब्राह्मणोर्हति । नृपस्त्वेकादशे वैश्यो द्वादशे वा यथाकुलम्
saptamethāṣṭamevābde sāvitrīṃ brāhmaṇorhati | nṛpastvekādaśe vaiśyo dvādaśe vā yathākulam
Pada tahun ketujuh—atau kelapan—seorang brāhmaṇa layak menerima Sāvitrī (upanayana). Seorang kṣatriya (raja) pada tahun kesebelas, dan seorang vaiśya pada tahun kedua belas, atau menurut adat keluarga.
Skanda (contextual continuity)
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Upanayana ceremony: a boy with shaved head tuft, wearing yajñopavīta, receiving Sāvitrī/Gāyatrī instruction from guru; sacred fire, staff (daṇḍa), deer-skin, and a Kāśī ghat/temple silhouette behind.
FAQs
Initiation into Vedic discipline (Sāvitrī/upanayana) is time-bound and duty-oriented, forming the basis for dharmic life.
The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma teaching, not to the praise of a single named shrine.
Upanayana/Sāvitrī eligibility: brāhmaṇa in year 7 or 8; kṣatriya in year 11; vaiśya in year 12, with allowance for family custom.