Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
विप्राणां ज्ञानतो ज्यैष्ठ्यं बाहुजानां तु वीर्यतः । वैश्यानां धान्यधनतः पज्जातानां तु जन्मतः
viprāṇāṃ jñānato jyaiṣṭhyaṃ bāhujānāṃ tu vīryataḥ | vaiśyānāṃ dhānyadhanataḥ pajjātānāṃ tu janmataḥ
برہمنوں میں بڑائی علم سے ہے؛ کشتریوں میں بہادری سے؛ ویشیوں میں اناج اور دولت سے؛ اور ادنیٰ پیدائش والوں میں محض پیدائش سے۔
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A symbolic tableau of four social groups: a brāhmaṇa teaching, a kṣatriya training with weapons, a vaiśya with granary/coins, and a laborer marked by lineage—arranged to show differing criteria of seniority.
FAQs
The verse frames social pre-eminence as tied to defining virtues—knowledge, valor, and prosperity—rather than uniform standards.
It is part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharma discourse, indirectly glorifying Kāśī as a place where dharma and right order are taught.
No direct ritual is prescribed; it presents a dharma-based criterion for seniority and status.