Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68
गृहीत्वा धारमध्यात्स भस्म प्रेतकरेऽर्पयत् । सोप्यादरात्समादाय भालदेशे न्यवेशयत्
gṛhītvā dhāramadhyātsa bhasma pretakare'rpayat | sopyādarātsamādāya bhāladeśe nyaveśayat
Taking ash from the middle of the stream, he placed it into the hand of the spirit; and that one too, receiving it with reverence, applied it upon his forehead.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (ghāṭa-dhārā)
Type: ghat
Scene: At a Kāśī ghat, a devotee scoops ash from the mid-current and places it into a preta’s hand; the preta, softened by reverence, applies it to the forehead, its form becoming calmer and less fearsome.
FAQs
Even a fallen being is uplifted through reverent contact with sanctified substances and Śaiva marks.
A Kāśī tīrtha associated with liberation from preta/piśāca conditions, later named Piśācamocana.
Receiving sacred ash and placing it on the forehead (bhāla), a classic Śaiva practice.