Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 117
एतस्मात्कारणाद्रक्षा क्रियते भस्मसम्भवा । विप्राणां भोज्यपात्रेषु श्राद्धे कूष्मांडजाद्भयात् । नागराणां न वांछंति श्राद्धे छिद्रं यतः शृणु
etasmātkāraṇādrakṣā kriyate bhasmasambhavā | viprāṇāṃ bhojyapātreṣu śrāddhe kūṣmāṃḍajādbhayāt | nāgarāṇāṃ na vāṃchaṃti śrāddhe chidraṃ yataḥ śṛṇu
Karena sebab inilah dilakukan upacara perlindungan yang lahir dari abu—karena takut akan gangguan yang berasal dari Kūṣmāṇḍa—pada bejana makanan para brāhmaṇa saat śrāddha. Maka orang Nāgara tidak menghendaki adanya ‘celah’ (cacat) dalam śrāddha; dengarkan alasannya.
Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)
Scene: A śrāddha setting: brāhmaṇas seated for bhojana; vessels are being marked/protected with sacred ash; subtle shadowy Kūṣmāṇḍa influence is implied as a threat to ritual purity; Nāgara householders are vigilant.
FAQs
Śrāddha demands meticulous purity and protection; even subtle ritual faults are treated as spiritually consequential.
The teaching belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya stream tied to the Gayākūpī sacred account in this chapter.
A bhasma-based protective measure (rakṣā) is applied regarding vessels used to feed brāhmaṇas during śrāddha, to avert Kūṣmāṇḍa-related harm and avoid ritual ‘chidra’ (defect).