Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95
व्रतबंध कुरुष्वास्य सांप्रतं चाष्टवार्षिकः । नात्र दोषोस्ति विप्रेंद्र न भगिन्यास्तथा तव । तस्माद्गृहाण पुत्रं स्वं भागिनेयं विशेषतः
vratabaṃdha kuruṣvāsya sāṃprataṃ cāṣṭavārṣikaḥ | nātra doṣosti vipreṃdra na bhaginyāstathā tava | tasmādgṛhāṇa putraṃ svaṃ bhāgineyaṃ viśeṣataḥ
„Vollziehe jetzt für ihn den Initiationsritus (vrata-bandha), denn er ist acht Jahre alt. Hier liegt kein Fehl vor, o Bester der Brāhmaṇas – weder bei dir noch bei deiner Schwester. Darum nimm ihn als deinen eigenen Sohn an, ja, besonders als deinen Neffen.“
Nārada (advising Yājñavalkya)
Tirtha: Camatkārapura
Type: kshetra
Scene: Nārada urges Yājñavalkya to perform the boy’s upanayana now at age eight and to accept him as son/nephew; the scene is a solemn dharmic instruction in an āśrama.
FAQs
Initiatory rites and family responsibility are part of brāhmaṇa-dharma; one should protect and educate dependents without blame.
The instruction occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative framework of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
Vrata-bandha (initiation, commonly associated with upanayana) is prescribed at the proper age (eight years).