Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17
श्राद्धे वा वैश्वदेवे वा यद्यागच्छति नातिथिः । घृताहुतिं ततो दद्यात्तन्नाम्ना च हविर्भुजि
śrāddhe vā vaiśvadeve vā yadyāgacchati nātithiḥ | ghṛtāhutiṃ tato dadyāttannāmnā ca havirbhuji
Se, durante o śrāddha ou o rito vaiśvadeva, nenhum hóspede chegar, então deve-se oferecer uma oblação de ghee ao Fogo, pronunciando o nome desse hóspede, para que Agni, o que consome o havis, a receba.
Deductive (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration; likely Sūta speaking to sages)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A śrāddha/vaiśvadeva setting where no guest arrives; the host turns to the sacred fire and pours ghee while uttering the intended guest’s name; Agni’s flame rises as if accepting the offering.
FAQs
When the intended recipient is absent, the rite is not abandoned; the offering is redirected through Agni to preserve merit and ritual continuity.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches household ritual protocol within a tīrtha-mahātmya setting.
Offer a ghṛta-āhuti into Agni (havirbhuj) if no atithi arrives during śrāddha or vaiśvadeva.