Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87
पृष्टश्च किमिदं कर्म तवांत्यजजनोचितम् । एषा वेदात्मिका वाणी स्पष्टाक्षरकलस्वना । तत्किं शापपरिभ्रष्टस्त्वं कश्चिद्ब्राह्मणोत्तमः
pṛṣṭaśca kimidaṃ karma tavāṃtyajajanocitam | eṣā vedātmikā vāṇī spaṣṭākṣarakalasvanā | tatkiṃ śāpaparibhraṣṭastvaṃ kaścidbrāhmaṇottamaḥ
Lalu dia ditanya: “Mengapa engkau melakukan pekerjaan ini, yang layak bagi seorang antyaja? Namun tutur katamu bersifat Veda, dengan suku kata yang jelas dan nada yang merdu. Adakah engkau seorang brāhmaṇa utama yang jatuh dari kedudukan kerana sumpahan?”
Brāhmaṇas led by Devaśarmā (interrogating the beaten man)
Type: kshetra
Scene: At a riverside or shrine precinct, a refined-speaking figure engaged in menial/antyaja-coded labor is questioned by a brāhmaṇa or pilgrim; the contrast between humble action and luminous, Vedic speech is central.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma urges discernment: sacred qualities (Vedic speech, saṃskāra) may exist beneath surprising circumstances, and suffering may arise from past causes such as śāpa.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a turning point in the tīrtha-māhātmya story where hidden identity is recognized.
No explicit prescription; the verse highlights vedātmikā vāṇī (Vedic recitation/intonation) and upholds Vedic discipline as a sign of dharmic identity.