Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76
विधिना कुरुते यस्तु नीलोत्सर्गं च तत्तटे । प्रेता नैव कुले तस्य यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश
vidhinā kurute yastu nīlotsargaṃ ca tattaṭe | pretā naiva kule tasya yāvadiṃdrāścaturdaśa
Wer nach der vorgeschriebenen Ordnung am Ufer jenes Flusses die Opfergabe namens nīlotsarga darbringt, in dessen Geschlecht wird kein Preta entstehen, solange die vierzehn Indras währen.
Vyāsa (deduced from immediate surrounding dialogue style; exact speaker not explicit in this single verse)
Tirtha: Devakhāta
Type: ghat
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by v.80; narrative frame suggests a Mahābhārata-linked dialogue setting)
Scene: A pilgrim at a sacred riverbank performs a solemn nīlotsarga offering with ritual vessels, kusa grass, and a small altar, while elders/priests witness; the river glows with tīrtha-aura.
FAQs
Ritual action performed with proper vidhi at a sacred tirtha is said to protect one’s lineage from preta-affliction for vast cosmic periods.
The verse points to the sacred bank connected with Devakhāta (context from the surrounding Devakhāta-māhātmya passage).
Performing nīlotsarga (a named offering/rite) in the proper prescribed manner at the tirtha’s bank.