Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52
देवांश्च सृजता तेन विश्वेदेवाः कृताः पुरः । तेन ते प्रथमं पूज्याः प्रवृत्ते श्राद्धकर्मणि
devāṃśca sṛjatā tena viśvedevāḥ kṛtāḥ puraḥ | tena te prathamaṃ pūjyāḥ pravṛtte śrāddhakarmaṇi
Ketika Dia mula mencipta para dewa, Viśvedevā dibentuk terlebih dahulu. Maka apabila upacara Śrāddha dimulakan, merekalah yang patut dipuja terlebih dahulu.
Narrator in Nāgarakhaṇḍa (contextual: a Purāṇic teacher addressing a king; listener addressed as nṛpa in nearby verses)
Listener: nṛpa (king)
Scene: A śrāddha altar with offerings; the Viśvedevāḥ appear as a collective radiant assembly receiving first oblations, while the officiant prepares subsequent pitṛ offerings.
FAQs
Ritual order matters in Dharma: honoring the Viśvedevās first helps establish correctness and auspiciousness in Śrāddha.
The broader passage sits in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa, framing Śrāddha practice in a sacred-geography context.
At the start of Śrāddha-karman, the Viśvedevās should be offered worship before other recipients.