Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18
उदङ्मुखस्तु देवानां पितॄणां दक्षिणामुखः । अग्निना भस्मना वापि यवेनाप्युदकेन वा । द्वारसंक्रमणेनापि पंक्तिदोषो न विद्यते
udaṅmukhastu devānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ | agninā bhasmanā vāpi yavenāpyudakena vā | dvārasaṃkramaṇenāpi paṃktidoṣo na vidyate
Nos ritos aos Devas, prescreve-se voltar-se para o norte; e nos ritos aos Pitṛs, para o sul. E ainda que a purificação se faça com fogo, cinza, cevada, água, ou mesmo apenas ao transpor um umbral, não surge o ‘paṅkti-doṣa’, a impureza que afeta a linha ritual da refeição.
Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative style)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A ritual hall near a coastal shrine: one group faces north offering to devas; another faces south offering to pitṛs. A doorway stands prominent; a participant crosses the threshold after sprinkling water/holding ash, then joins a seated dining line without defect.
FAQs
Dharma is protected by correct intention and simple purifications; sacred rites for Devas and Pitṛs remain valid when performed with prescribed orientation and cleansing.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhās). The chapter frames these śrāddha-rules as especially authoritative within this sacred geography.
Face north for Deva-rites and south for Pitṛ-rites; purify using fire, ash, barley, water, or even by crossing a threshold—thereby avoiding paṅkti-doṣa.