Skandapurana 3.2.39.87.1

3.2.39.87.1

.. brahmovāca .. ..
śṛṇu putra pravakṣyāmi rahasyaṃ paramaṃ matam ..
ete brahmavidaḥ proktāścāturvidyā mahā dvijāḥ .. 1 ..
svādhyāyāśca vaṣaṭkārāḥ svadhākārāśca nityaśaḥ ..
rāmājñāpālakāścaiva hanumadbhaktitatparāḥ .. 2 ..
ekadā tu tato devā brahmāṇaṃ samupāgatāḥ ..
brāhmaṇāndraṣṭukāmāste brahmaviṣṇupurogamāḥ .. 3 ..
tāndevānāgatāndṛṣṭvā svasthānāccalitāstu te ..
arghapādyaṃ puraskṛtya madhuparkaṃ tathaiva ca .. 4 ..
pūjayitvā tato viprā devānbrahmapurogamān..
brahmātra upaviṣṭāste vedānuccārayanti hi .. 5 ..
saṃhitāṃ ca padaṃ caiva kramaṃ ghanaṃ tathaiva ca ..
uccaiḥ svareṇa kurvīta ṛcāmṛgvedasaṃhitām .. 6 ..
sāmagāśca prakurvaṃti stotrāṇi vividhāni ca ..
śāstrāṇi ca tathā yājyāpuronuvākyā stathā .. 7 ..
caturakṣaraṃ paraṃ caiva caturakṣarameva ca ..
dvyakṣaraṃ ca tathā paṃcākṣaraṃ dvayakṣarameva ca ..
etadyajñasvarūpaṃ ca yo japejjñānapūrvakam ..8..
aṃte brahma padaprāptiḥ satyaṃsatyaṃ vadāmyaham ..
ekāgramānasāḥ sarve vedapāṭharatā dvijāḥ .. 9 ..
teṣāmaṃgaṇadeśeṣu kaṇḍūyante kacānmṛgāḥ ..
brāhmaṇā vedamātāṃ ca japaṃti vidhipūrvakam..3.2.39.10..
haste dhṛtāṃśca tairdarbhānbhakṣaṃte mṛgapotakāḥ..
nirvairaṃ taṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā āśramaṃ gṛhamedhinām ..11..
tutuṣuḥ paramaṃ devā ūcuste ca parasparam..
tretāyugamidānīṃ ca sarve dharmaparāyaṇāḥ..12..
kalirduṣṭastathā proktaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati pāpakaḥ..
cāturvidyānsamāhūya ūcuste traya eva ca..13..
vṛttyarthaṃ bhavatāṃ caiva traividyānāṃ tathaiva ca ..
vibhāgaṃ vaḥ pradāsyāmo yathāvatpratipālyatām..14..

Brahmā said: / Listen, O son, I shall declare the supreme secret doctrine. / These great twice-born ones, knowers of the Veda, are said to know the four Vedas. / They constantly perform recitation of scripture, the vaṣaṭ utterance, and the svadhā utterance; / they obey Rama's command and are devoted to devotion to Hanumat. / Then once the gods, led by Brahmā and Viṣṇu, came to Brahmā, / wishing to see the brahmins. / Seeing those gods arrived, they moved from their place; / having offered them respectful water and water for the feet, and likewise the honey mixture, / and then worshipped the gods headed by Brahmā, the brahmins / sat here beside Brahmā and recited the Vedas indeed: / the Saṃhitā text, the Pada text, the Krama text, and likewise the Ghana text; / one should recite aloud the Ṛgveda-saṃhitā of verses. / And the singers of Sāmans perform various hymns of praise, / and the ritual instructions, as well as the yājyā and puronuvākyā verses. / The supreme four-syllabled [utterance], and the four-syllabled, / the two-syllabled, and the five-syllabled, and the two-syllabled: / whoever recites this nature of the sacrifice with knowledge / attains the state of Brahman at the end; I tell the absolute truth. / All the twice-born, with one-pointed minds, were devoted to Vedic recitation. / In their courtyards, deer scratch their hair; / the brahmins recite the mother of the Vedas according to rule, / and young fawns eat the darbha grass held in their hands. / Seeing then that hermitage of the householders devoid of hostility, / the gods were exceedingly delighted, and they said to one another: / 'It is the Tretāyuga now; all are devoted to righteousness. / Kali is said to be wicked, but what will that sinful one do?' / Having summoned the knowers of the four Vedas, the three [gods] said: / 'For your livelihood and for that of the knowers of the three Vedas, / we shall grant you a division; let it be observed properly.