Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74
एवमुक्त्वा सहस्राक्षो विश्वेदेवांस्ततः परम् । प्रोवाच ब्राह्मणान्सर्वान्विश्वेदेवैर्विना कृतम् । श्राद्धकर्म भवद्भिस्तु कार्यमन्यैश्च मानवैः
evamuktvā sahasrākṣo viśvedevāṃstataḥ param | provāca brāhmaṇānsarvānviśvedevairvinā kṛtam | śrāddhakarma bhavadbhistu kāryamanyaiśca mānavaiḥ
ครั้นตรัสดังนี้แล้ว สหัสรाक्षะ (พระอินทร์) จึงกล่าวต่อแก่เหล่าวิศวเทวะ และประกาศแก่พราหมณ์ทั้งปวงว่า “พิธีศราทธะนี้ พวกท่านและมนุษย์อื่นพึงกระทำ แต่ให้กระทำโดยปราศจากวิศวเทวะ”
Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Viśvedevāḥ and brāhmaṇas (direct); king/audience (indirect)
Scene: Indra (Sahasrākṣa) addresses Viśvedevās and then the brāhmaṇas, announcing that śrāddha is to be performed by humans but without Viśvedevā participation; the Viśvedevās appear pained or astonished.
FAQs
Ritual efficacy depends on correct divine and priestly order; altering the ordained participants causes dharmic imbalance and sorrow.
The passage belongs to a tīrtha-glorifying section, but this verse primarily explains śrāddha protocol rather than a single named site.
Śrāddha is framed as a brāhmaṇa-led rite with specific deva-participation expectations; the verse highlights performance ‘vinā’ (without) Viśvedevās as a significant deviation.