Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54
हीनवर्णश्च यः स्याद्धि शिवभक्तोऽपि नैव सः । प्रतिगृह्यौ गुणौ तस्माद्विलोक्यौ द्वौ प्रतिग्रहे
hīnavarṇaśca yaḥ syāddhi śivabhakto'pi naiva saḥ | pratigṛhyau guṇau tasmādvilokyau dvau pratigrahe
தாழ்ந்த ஒழுக்கம்/நிலை உடையவன் சிவபக்தன் எனச் சொன்னாலும் உண்மையில் சிவபக்தன் அல்ல. ஆகவே தானம் அல்லது விருந்தோம்பலை ஏற்கும் போது இரண்டு குணங்களை ஆராய வேண்டும்.
Unspecified (context suggests a Purāṇic narrator in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)
Scene: A devotee at a pilgrimage rest-house is offered gifts/food; an elder advises him to examine the giver and the offering. Two symbolic scales appear: one weighing the donor’s character, the other the purity of the gift.
FAQs
Devotion is validated by conduct; discernment is advised before accepting offerings or hospitality.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is on dharmic discernment (pratigraha-niyama).
When accepting (pratigraha), one should examine two qualifying factors (the verse introduces this rule, details likely follow in subsequent lines).