Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44
हीनांगो वाऽथ यद्भुंक्तेऽधिकांगो वाथ निंदितः । महाव्याधिगृहीतो वा चौरो वार्द्धुषिकोऽपि वा । यत्र भुंक्तेऽथवा श्राद्धे तत्ते श्राद्धं भविष्यति
hīnāṃgo vā'tha yadbhuṃkte'dhikāṃgo vātha niṃditaḥ | mahāvyādhigṛhīto vā cauro vārddhuṣiko'pi vā | yatra bhuṃkte'thavā śrāddhe tatte śrāddhaṃ bhaviṣyati
Wenn beim śrāddha ein Mensch mit fehlendem Glied, oder mit einem Glied zu viel, oder ein Geschmähter, oder von schwerer Krankheit Befallener, oder ein Dieb, ja selbst ein Wucherer speist, dann haftet dieser Makel deinem śrāddha an.
Brahmā (contextual continuation)
Scene: A line of potential śrāddha diners contrasted: a serene qualified brāhmaṇa in clean attire versus shadowed figures symbolizing thief/usurer and a visibly ill person; the priest guides the host toward the qualified recipient.
FAQs
Ancestral rites are linked with moral and ritual fitness; the śrāddha’s sanctity is protected by ethical discernment.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it remains within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya instructional setting.
Avoid feeding śrāddha to individuals deemed ineligible by the text (e.g., thieves, usurers, seriously diseased, censured persons).