Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20
यावत्षोडशसंख्याश्च नान्यस्यैतद्धि युज्यते । त्वया शक्र सदा कार्या शुश्रूषा च द्विजन्मनाम्
yāvatṣoḍaśasaṃkhyāśca nānyasyaitaddhi yujyate | tvayā śakra sadā kāryā śuśrūṣā ca dvijanmanām
« Qu’ils soient au nombre de seize, car nul autre agencement n’est convenable. Et toi, ô Śakra (Indra), rends toujours un service attentif aux dvija, les deux-fois-nés ».
Brahmā (continued instruction)
Scene: A divine ordinance is proclaimed: sixteen priests must officiate; Indra, addressed as Śakra, is instructed to serve them attentively.
FAQs
Humility before Dharma: even kings of heaven must serve sacred learning and those who uphold ritual truth.
The tīrtha’s eminence is suggested by the strict, classical yajña protocol observed there; the verse itself is not a place-name verse.
A sixteen-priest arrangement is mandated, and Indra is tasked with ongoing service to the priests.