Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
अत ऊर्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि ये शस्ताः श्राद्धकर्मणि । ये ब्राह्मणाः पुरा ख्याताः पापानां पंक्तिपावनाः
ata ūrdhvaṃ pravakṣyāmi ye śastāḥ śrāddhakarmaṇi | ye brāhmaṇāḥ purā khyātāḥ pāpānāṃ paṃktipāvanāḥ
Nun will ich weiter darlegen, wer für die Vollziehung des śrāddha zu rühmen ist: jene Brāhmaṇas, seit uralter Zeit berühmt als „Reiniger der Speisereihe“, die durch ihre bloße Gegenwart Sünde tilgen.
Skanda (deduced)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A radiant brāhmaṇa elder seated at the head of the dining row; subtle aura/light around him; the śrāddha pavilion appears purified, with ancestors symbolically pleased in the background.
FAQs
Śrāddha is strengthened by inviting those established in sacred learning and discipline, whose presence is believed to sanctify the rite.
This verse does not glorify a particular tīrtha; it transitions to the list of recommended officiants/guests.
A positive prescription: the text will list who is ‘śasta’ (recommended) for śrāddha and described as paṃktipāvana.