Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
तेन तृप्तिं परां यांति ये कृमित्वमुपागताः । कीटत्वं वापि तिर्यक्त्वं व्यालत्वं च नराधिप
tena tṛptiṃ parāṃ yāṃti ye kṛmitvamupāgatāḥ | kīṭatvaṃ vāpi tiryaktvaṃ vyālatvaṃ ca narādhipa
Durch diese herabgefallene Darbringung, o König, gelangen selbst jene, die zu Würmern wurden—ja zu Insekten, Tieren oder gar Schlangen—zur höchsten Sättigung.
Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue voice; addressing a king)
Listener: narādhipa (king)
Scene: From the spot where offerings touched the earth, a subtle radiance spreads outward to small creatures—worms, insects, a deer-like animal, and a serpent—who become calm and luminous, suggesting inner satiation and release from distress.
FAQs
Śrāddha is portrayed as compassion that can extend even to beings in degraded or non-human states, bringing them relief and satisfaction.
The verse speaks generally about śrāddha efficacy within a tīrtha-māhātmya setting; no single tīrtha is named in this line.
It links the śrāddha’s remnants/offerings to the appeasement of departed beings who may be experiencing various lower embodiments.