Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29
कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां श्रद्धायुक्तेन चेतसा । तासामनुचरा देवि भूतप्रेताश्च कोटिशः
kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ śraddhāyuktena cetasā | tāsāmanucarā devi bhūtapretāśca koṭiśaḥ
يا إلهة، في اليوم الرابع عشر من النصف المظلم من الشهر القمري، وبقلبٍ مفعمٍ بالإيمان—توجد كُرورٌ لا تُحصى من البهوتا والبريتا خَدَمًا وتابعين لتلك الأمهات الإلهيات.
Śiva (deduced)
Tirtha: Mātṛ-sthānas of Prabhāsa (caturdaśī emphasis)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (explicitly addressed as devi)
Scene: Night of kṛṣṇa-pakṣa caturdaśī: devotees with lamps and offerings worship the Mothers; behind the shrines, vast hosts of bhūtas and pretas stand as disciplined attendants, forming a protective perimeter rather than a threat.
FAQs
Faith and correct ritual timing acknowledge unseen forces; worship aligns the devotee with protective divine order.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Mātṛs are worshipped and described with their attendant hosts.
Observance and worship context tied to Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturdaśī, performed with śraddhā.