Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
प्रमातामहस्तु हृदये वृद्धो नाभौ तु संस्थितः । अलाभे ब्राह्मणस्यैव कुशः कार्यो द्विजः प्रिये । इदं सर्वपुराणेभ्यः सारमुद्धत्य चोच्यते
pramātāmahastu hṛdaye vṛddho nābhau tu saṃsthitaḥ | alābhe brāhmaṇasyaiva kuśaḥ kāryo dvijaḥ priye | idaṃ sarvapurāṇebhyaḥ sāramuddhatya cocyate
Theo lời dạy này, “cụ ngoại vĩ đại” ngự trong tim, còn “bậc trưởng lão” an trụ nơi rốn. Nếu không tìm được một Bà-la-môn, hỡi người yêu dấu, hãy kết một dvija bằng cỏ kuśa; đây là lời được nói ra sau khi chắt lọc tinh túy từ mọi Purāṇa.
Skanda (deduced; “priye” indicates instruction to a close interlocutor, often in Purāṇic dialogue)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A yajamāna fashions a small ‘dvija’ figure/seat from kuśa grass; subtle ancestral presences hover near heart and navel regions as the verse maps maternal great-grandfather to the heart and the ‘elder’ to the navel; a teacher declares this as purāṇa-sāra.
FAQs
Dharma is preserved through intention and proper method; even obstacles (no brāhmaṇa available) have scriptural alternatives.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where comprehensive śrāddha guidance is presented for devotees and pilgrims.
If a brāhmaṇa cannot be obtained, one may ritually fashion a ‘dvija’ using kuśa grass for completing the śrāddha procedure.