Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33
अथाचारपरिभ्रष्टाः श्राद्धार्हा एव नागराः । वलीवर्दसमानोऽपि ज्ञातीयो यदि लभ्यते । किमन्यैर्बहुभिर्विप्रैर्वेदवेदांगपारगैः
athācāraparibhraṣṭāḥ śrāddhārhā eva nāgarāḥ | valīvardasamāno'pi jñātīyo yadi labhyate | kimanyairbahubhirviprairvedavedāṃgapāragaiḥ
Selbst wenn die Nāgaras von rechter Lebensführung abgefallen sind, sollen sie dennoch als würdige Empfänger im Śrāddha gelten. Wenn ein Verwandter zu finden ist—und wäre er auch so gering geachtet wie ein Zugochse—wozu bedarf es dann vieler anderer Brāhmaṇas, selbst solcher, die Veden und Vedāṅgas durchdrungen haben?
Not explicit in this verse (Śrāddha-kalpa narrative voice within Nāgara Khaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A moral-contrast tableau: a humble, even disreputable-looking local kinsman is respectfully offered śrāddha, while a group of dignified Veda-knowing outsiders stand aside; the yajamāna chooses kinship duty over display.
FAQs
In śrāddha, dharma prioritizes rightful relationship and ritual propriety over mere display of scholarship; fulfilling ancestral duty is central.
The passage sits in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya setting within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, though this verse itself focuses on śrāddha norms.
Guidance on choosing śrāddha recipients: prefer an available kinsman; do not overvalue large numbers of learned invitees when the proper relational duty can be met.