Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
उद्गात्रा देव चात्मीयो मार्गः श्रुतिविवर्जितः । विहितः कन्यकां धृत्वा सदोमध्ये सुरेश्वर
udgātrā deva cātmīyo mārgaḥ śrutivivarjitaḥ | vihitaḥ kanyakāṃ dhṛtvā sadomadhye sureśvara
“Wahai Tuhan, seorang pendeta Udgātṛ telah menetapkan suatu amalan ciptaannya sendiri yang tidak bersandar pada kewibawaan Veda—dengan meletakkan seorang gadis di tengah-tengah persidangan, wahai Penguasa para dewa.”
Bhṛgu (addressing Brahmā / divine authority figure in context)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
Scene: Bhṛgu, hands folded, reports to Brahmā: an Udgātṛ has created a non-Vedic practice—placing a maiden in the center of the assembly.
FAQs
Even powerful religious acts must be aligned with śruti-smṛti dharma; Purāṇas uphold sacred innovation only when it does not contradict Vedic authority.
The verse focuses on ritual legitimacy in a divine assembly; the specific earthly tīrtha is not named in this shloka.
A contested practice is mentioned: placing a maiden in the center of an assembly as part of a self-made rite, criticized as ‘śruti-vivarjita’.