Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
अज्ञातपितृवंशो यो दूरादपि समागतः । सामान्यं वांछते पद्यं नागरोऽस्मीति कीर्तयन्
ajñātapitṛvaṃśo yo dūrādapi samāgataḥ | sāmānyaṃ vāṃchate padyaṃ nāgaro'smīti kīrtayan
Wer auch immer selbst aus weiter Ferne kommt, dessen väterliche Abstammung unbekannt ist, und der dennoch die allgemeine bürgerliche Stellung begehrt, indem er verkündet: „Ich bin ein Nāgara“,—
Bhartṛyajña
Listener: brāhmaṇas / kingly audience (contextual)
Scene: A weary traveler arrives from afar, modest dress, uncertain background; he petitions elders saying ‘I am a Nāgara’; elders deliberate with compassion and caution.
FAQs
In dharma, social identity and privileges are not merely proclaimed; they require purification and verification aligned with righteous order.
The verse is preparatory; the tīrtha context becomes explicit when Gartā-tīrtha is mentioned in the subsequent instruction.
An implied prescription: one who seeks recognized standing must undergo due śuddhi (purificatory validation) rather than relying on self-assertion.