Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
प्रमातामहस्तु हृदये वृद्धो नाभौ तु संस्थितः । अलाभे ब्राह्मणस्यैव कुशः कार्यो द्विजः प्रिये । इदं सर्वपुराणेभ्यः सारमुद्धत्य चोच्यते
pramātāmahastu hṛdaye vṛddho nābhau tu saṃsthitaḥ | alābhe brāhmaṇasyaiva kuśaḥ kāryo dvijaḥ priye | idaṃ sarvapurāṇebhyaḥ sāramuddhatya cocyate
Adapun buyut dari pihak ibu bersemayam di hati, dan yang disebut ‘yang tua’ bersthana di pusar. Wahai kekasih, bila brāhmaṇa tidak didapat, hendaknya dibuat seorang dvija dari rumput kuśa; inilah yang diucapkan setelah memetik sari dari semua Purāṇa.
Skanda (deduced; “priye” indicates instruction to a close interlocutor, often in Purāṇic dialogue)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A yajamāna fashions a small ‘dvija’ figure/seat from kuśa grass; subtle ancestral presences hover near heart and navel regions as the verse maps maternal great-grandfather to the heart and the ‘elder’ to the navel; a teacher declares this as purāṇa-sāra.
FAQs
Dharma is preserved through intention and proper method; even obstacles (no brāhmaṇa available) have scriptural alternatives.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where comprehensive śrāddha guidance is presented for devotees and pilgrims.
If a brāhmaṇa cannot be obtained, one may ritually fashion a ‘dvija’ using kuśa grass for completing the śrāddha procedure.