Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68
एकेनापि च बाह्येन बहूनामपि भूपते । मध्ये समुपविष्टेन तच्छ्राद्धं दोषमाप्नुयात्
ekenāpi ca bāhyena bahūnāmapi bhūpate | madhye samupaviṣṭena tacchrāddhaṃ doṣamāpnuyāt
Ô roi : même si beaucoup sont présents, si un seul étranger—impropre au rite—s’assied au milieu, ce śrāddha encourt une faute et se trouve entaché.
Skanda (deduced)
Type: ghat
Listener: bhūpate (O king) explicitly addressed
Scene: A śrāddha line of seated brāhmaṇas; one ‘outsider’ sits in the middle causing visible unease; the yajamāna and officiant notice the breach of ritual order; the scene conveys boundary and eligibility.
FAQs
Dharmic rites depend not only on intention but also on proper eligibility and context; improper association can diminish the rite’s fruit.
The verse is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya instruction on correct performance rather than naming a single locality in this line.
Ensure only qualified persons are seated within the śrāddha assembly; avoid unfit ‘outsiders’ in the midst.