Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 67
कपालस्थं यथा तोयं श्वदृतौ च यथा पयः । दूषितं स्थानदोषेण वृत्तहीने तथा श्रुतम्
kapālasthaṃ yathā toyaṃ śvadṛtau ca yathā payaḥ | dūṣitaṃ sthānadoṣeṇa vṛttahīne tathā śrutam
Seperti air yang disimpan dalam tengkorak, dan susu yang diletakkan dalam kulit anjing, menjadi tercemar kerana cela wadah—demikian juga ilmu menjadi ternoda apabila bersemayam pada orang yang tiada tata laku benar.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two symbolic still-lifes: a skull-cup holding water and a dog-skin bag holding milk, both shown as ritually impure; beside them, a scholar with manuscripts but disordered behavior, illustrating ‘śruta’ spoiled by bad conduct.
FAQs
Knowledge without character is spiritually tainted; right conduct is the ‘vessel’ that preserves purity of learning.
Prabhāsakṣetra, where the māhātmya stresses inner purity and ethical fitness alongside outward religious acts.
An implicit prescription: choose recipients and teachers by conduct (vṛtta), not merely by learning (śruta).