Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68
विषादो जायते भूयो गुणैरेतैर्नराधिप । अशक्ताः प्रेतयोगाद्वै सर्वस्य शुभकर्मणः
viṣādo jāyate bhūyo guṇairetairnarādhipa | aśaktāḥ pretayogādvai sarvasya śubhakarmaṇaḥ
بل إن الحزن يزداد، يا حاكمَ الناس، بسبب هذه «المزايا» نفسها؛ إذ إننا مقيّدون بحالِ الپريتا، فنحن حقًّا عاجزون عن كلِّ عملٍ مباركٍ صالح.
Preta(s) (departed spirits) addressing the king
Type: kshetra
Listener: narādhipa / king
Scene: The pretas confess that sorrow increases due to these ‘advantages’ because, bound to preta-yoga, they cannot perform any auspicious deeds.
FAQs
Without embodied agency and dharmic capacity, the preta condition blocks auspicious action; compassion through rites and merit becomes essential.
No site is named in this single verse; the broader chapter frames the discussion within tīrtha-glorification and remedial dharma.
None explicitly; it implies the value of proxy-rituals performed by the living (śrāddha, dāna) for the benefit of the departed.