Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14
दक्षिणारहितं श्राद्धं यथैवोषरवर्षितम् । यथा तमसि नृत्यं च गीतं वा बधिरस्य च
dakṣiṇārahitaṃ śrāddhaṃ yathaivoṣaravarṣitam | yathā tamasi nṛtyaṃ ca gītaṃ vā badhirasya ca
Ein Śrāddha ohne Dakṣiṇā ist wie Regen, der auf unfruchtbaren Boden fällt; wie Tanz in der Finsternis; oder wie Gesang für einen Tauben.
Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue voice)
Scene: Triptych-like imagery: (1) rain falling on cracked barren ground, (2) a dancer moving in pitch darkness with unseen audience, (3) a singer performing before a deaf listener—juxtaposed with a śrāddha scene lacking dakṣiṇā.
FAQs
Without generosity, ritual becomes fruitless—dakṣiṇā is depicted as the factor that makes śrāddha truly effective.
The verse uses moral-ritual similes and does not name a specific tīrtha.
It strongly warns against performing śrāddha without dakṣiṇā, illustrating the futility through vivid comparisons.