Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 95
भूषिता भूषणौघेन तस्मिन्यज्ञे तदर्त्विजः । चतुर्षु तज्ज्ञाश्चत्वार एवं ते षोडशर्त्विजः
bhūṣitā bhūṣaṇaughena tasminyajñe tadartvijaḥ | caturṣu tajjñāścatvāra evaṃ te ṣoḍaśartvijaḥ
In jenem Opfer waren die Opferpriester mit einer Fülle von Schmuck geziert. Für jede der vier Gruppen wurden je vier Kundige bestimmt; so gab es insgesamt sechzehn amtierende Priester.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical)
Scene: A grand yajña-maṇḍapa at Prabhāsa: sixteen ṛtviks seated in ordered quarters, gleaming ornaments and ritual implements; fire-altar blazing, banners and canopies, attendants carrying dakṣiṇā trays.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld through structured cooperation—each role mastered by experts, producing harmony in sacred action.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, shown as a place where exemplary Vedic yajña is performed with full ritual completeness.
It references the classical ṣoḍaśa-ṛtvij system: sixteen priests arranged as four experts across four functional sets.