Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
ततः स भोजनं चक्रे क्षुधार्तश्च पपौ जलम् । भयं त्यक्त्वा सुविश्रब्धः प्रेतराजस्य शासनात्
tataḥ sa bhojanaṃ cakre kṣudhārtaśca papau jalam | bhayaṃ tyaktvā suviśrabdhaḥ pretarājasya śāsanāt
তারপর সে ভোজন প্রস্তুত করল, আর ক্ষুধায় কাতর হয়ে জল পান করল। প্রেতরাজের আদেশে ভয় ত্যাগ করে সে নিশ্চিন্ত ও নির্ভর হল।
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The traveler cooks and eats, then drinks water with relief; his tense posture softens into calm as the preta-king’s command guarantees safety; the eerie court recedes into quiet order.
FAQs
Dharma performed with trust (even amid fear) restores steadiness and opens the way for auspicious outcomes.
Not specified in this verse; it continues the episode that supports the tīrtha-māhātmya teaching.
Practical atithi-sevā: preparing food and providing water, done without fear and with composure.