Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
शूद्रोपि न भवेत्प्रायो नागयज्ञोपवीतवान् । एवं वर्णाश्रमातीतः कोसौ सम्यङ्नकीर्त्यते
śūdropi na bhavetprāyo nāgayajñopavītavān | evaṃ varṇāśramātītaḥ kosau samyaṅnakīrtyate
Sa karaniwang diwa, hindi rin siya isang Śūdra; ni hindi siya yaong may suot na banal na sinulid (yajñopavīta) para sa handog na Nāga. Kaya, yamang lampas siya sa lahat ng varṇa at āśrama, sino nga ba siya upang mailarawan nang wasto?
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame; not explicit here)
Scene: A contemplative Kāśī setting: ascetics and householders on a ghat debate ‘who is Śiva?’ while a subtle, formless presence is suggested above the liṅga shrine—emphasizing the inadequacy of social labels.
FAQs
True spiritual stature can transcend conventional social and ritual labels; some beings/ascetics cannot be classified by ordinary varṇāśrama categories.
The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this particular verse focuses on characterization rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No prescription is given; the verse references ritual identity markers (like the upavīta) only to deny their applicability.