Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
आवाहनात्परं यत्र मौनं न श्राद्धदश्चरेत् । ब्राह्मणो वाऽथ भोक्ता च तत्ते श्राद्धं भविष्यति
āvāhanātparaṃ yatra maunaṃ na śrāddhadaścaret | brāhmaṇo vā'tha bhoktā ca tatte śrāddhaṃ bhaviṣyati
Wo nach dem āvāhana (rituellen Herabrufen) das für das śrāddha vorgeschriebene Schweigen nicht eingehalten wird—sei es vom zelebrierenden Brāhmaṇa oder vom Essenden—wird jenes śrāddha dir zufallen.
Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa
Scene: Moment immediately after āvāhana: performer with folded hands, kuśa in hand; officiant and diners shown with a finger-to-lips gesture indicating silence; a contrasting figure begins to speak, with the atmosphere subtly disturbed (ripples in water pot, wavering flame).
FAQs
Śrāddha is sustained by disciplined conduct; breaking prescribed observances (like mauna) undermines its sanctity.
The setting is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
After āvāhana, maintain the śrāddha’s required silence—by both officiant and diners.