Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन श्राद्धं तत्र समाचरेत् । काले वा । यदि वाऽकाले पितॄणां तुष्टये सदा
tasmātsarvaprayatnena śrāddhaṃ tatra samācaret | kāle vā | yadi vā'kāle pitṝṇāṃ tuṣṭaye sadā
Darum soll man mit allem Eifer dort das Śrāddha vollziehen—zur vorgeschriebenen Zeit oder selbst zur unzeitigen—denn die Ahnen werden dadurch immerdar zufrieden.
Narrator (contextual; within Tīrthamāhātmya discourse)
Tirtha: Pitṛkūpikā (implied)
Type: kund
Scene: A pilgrim or householder performing śrāddha near a sacred well—darbha grass, piṇḍa offerings, water libations—while unseen Pitṛs receive and are appeased, suggesting timeless acceptance beyond calendrical limits.
FAQs
At a powerful tīrtha, sincere ancestral worship (śrāddha) bears fruit even beyond strict calendrical constraints, because the aim is pitṛ-tṛpti (satisfaction of the ancestors).
The verse refers to “that place” (tatra) within the ongoing Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative, i.e., the currently described tīrtha celebrated for pitṛ-related rites.
Perform śrāddha at the tīrtha—ideally in the proper time (kāla), but it is also commended even if done at an unusual time (akāla) for pitṛ-satisfaction.