Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15
काणाः खञ्जाश्च कृष्णाश्च दरिद्रा व्याधितास्तथा । सर्वे श्राद्धे नियोक्तव्या मिश्रिता वेदपारगैः
kāṇāḥ khañjāśca kṛṣṇāśca daridrā vyādhitāstathā | sarve śrāddhe niyoktavyā miśritā vedapāragaiḥ
काणे, खंज, कृष्णवर्ण, दरिद्री व व्याधिग्रस्त—असे सर्वही श्राद्धात नियोक्तव्य; वेदपारंगत ब्राह्मणांसह त्यांना एकत्र बसवावे।
Śiva (deduced from the first-person continuation in subsequent verses: 'mama rūpam', 'yathāham')
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim/householder performing śrāddha at Prabhāsa
Scene: A śrāddha assembly where Veda-learned Brāhmaṇas sit alongside poor and physically impaired dvijas, all receiving equal honor; the host offers food and water with impartial reverence.
FAQs
Do not exclude people from sacred rites due to physical condition or poverty; dharma in Śrāddha is fulfilled through respectful inclusion.
Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.
In Śrāddha, invite and seat even the disadvantaged together with Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas, rather than rejecting them.