Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17
श्राद्धे वा वैश्वदेवे वा यद्यागच्छति नातिथिः । घृताहुतिं ततो दद्यात्तन्नाम्ना च हविर्भुजि
śrāddhe vā vaiśvadeve vā yadyāgacchati nātithiḥ | ghṛtāhutiṃ tato dadyāttannāmnā ca havirbhuji
Si, durant le śrāddha ou le rite vaiśvadeva, aucun hôte n’arrive, qu’on verse alors une oblation de ghee dans le Feu sacré en prononçant son nom, afin qu’Agni, le consommateur du havis, la reçoive.
Deductive (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration; likely Sūta speaking to sages)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A śrāddha/vaiśvadeva setting where no guest arrives; the host turns to the sacred fire and pours ghee while uttering the intended guest’s name; Agni’s flame rises as if accepting the offering.
FAQs
When the intended recipient is absent, the rite is not abandoned; the offering is redirected through Agni to preserve merit and ritual continuity.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches household ritual protocol within a tīrtha-mahātmya setting.
Offer a ghṛta-āhuti into Agni (havirbhuj) if no atithi arrives during śrāddha or vaiśvadeva.