Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 57
असत्यभाषिणो विप्राः सुरूपा नृपसत्तमाः । सर्व्वविद्याकुशलिनो ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मसत्तमाः
asatyabhāṣiṇo viprāḥ surūpā nṛpasattamāḥ | sarvvavidyākuśalino brāhmaṇā brahmasattamāḥ
सन्ति विप्राः केचिदसत्यभाषिणः; सन्ति च सुरूपा नृपसत्तमाः। सन्ति च ब्राह्मणाः सर्वविद्याकुशलाः, ब्रह्मनिष्ठेषु ब्रह्मसत्तमाः॥
Unspecified (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta-type purāṇic narrator)
Scene: A didactic forest-āśrama setting: elders instructing disciples; contrasting figures—one brāhmaṇa with a forked tongue (symbolic), a radiant king, and a serene brahma-niṣṭha sage—showing that inner truth, not outer markers, defines greatness.
FAQs
Dharma evaluates people by truthfulness and realized excellence, not merely by social label; learning and integrity are central.
No specific sacred site is mentioned.
None; the verse is ethical and social in emphasis.