Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68
एकेनापि च बाह्येन बहूनामपि भूपते । मध्ये समुपविष्टेन तच्छ्राद्धं दोषमाप्नुयात्
ekenāpi ca bāhyena bahūnāmapi bhūpate | madhye samupaviṣṭena tacchrāddhaṃ doṣamāpnuyāt
اے بادشاہ! اگرچہ بہت سے لوگ موجود ہوں، مگر اگر ایک بھی بیرونی—جو اس رسم کے لائق نہیں—درمیان میں بیٹھ جائے تو وہ شرادھ عیب دار اور مکدّر ہو جاتا ہے۔
Skanda (deduced)
Type: ghat
Listener: bhūpate (O king) explicitly addressed
Scene: A śrāddha line of seated brāhmaṇas; one ‘outsider’ sits in the middle causing visible unease; the yajamāna and officiant notice the breach of ritual order; the scene conveys boundary and eligibility.
FAQs
Dharmic rites depend not only on intention but also on proper eligibility and context; improper association can diminish the rite’s fruit.
The verse is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya instruction on correct performance rather than naming a single locality in this line.
Ensure only qualified persons are seated within the śrāddha assembly; avoid unfit ‘outsiders’ in the midst.