Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41
उत्तमानुत्तमानेव गच्छन्हीनांश्च वर्जयन् । ब्राह्मणः श्रेष्ठतामेति प्रत्यवाये न शूद्रताम्
uttamānuttamāneva gacchanhīnāṃśca varjayan | brāhmaṇaḥ śreṣṭhatāmeti pratyavāye na śūdratām
உயர்ந்தோரிலும் மிக உயர்ந்தோருடனே பழகி, தாழ்ந்தவர்களைத் தவிர்த்தால் பிராமணன் மேன்மை அடைகிறான்; ஆனால் எதிர்மறை நடத்தையால் உயர்வடையாமல் தாழ்வுறுகிறான்।
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim stands at a crossroads in Kāśī: one path leads to a luminous assembly of sages; the other to a shadowy crowd of vice. He chooses the luminous path; above, a scale balances ‘ācāra’ against ‘pratyavāya’.
FAQs
One’s dharmic stature is preserved and elevated by noble association and lost by transgressive, degrading conduct.
The teaching is situated in Kāśī-khaṇḍa, implying that life in a sacred city should be matched by elevated conduct and company.
None; it is a prescriptive rule of conduct (ācāra) concerning association and moral decline.