Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18
अनेकनरकस्थाश्च तिर्यग्योनिगताश्च ये । सकृत्पिंडप्रदानेन स्यात्ते षामक्षया गतिः
anekanarakasthāśca tiryagyonigatāśca ye | sakṛtpiṃḍapradānena syātte ṣāmakṣayā gatiḥ
Même ceux qui demeurent dans de nombreux enfers, et ceux qui sont tombés dans des naissances animales — par une seule offrande de piṇḍa, ils obtiennent une délivrance impérissable.
Śiva (continuing instruction in the episode-context)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya-tīrtha (pitṛ-rite locus implied)
Type: ghat
Listener: Devas / pilgrims-by-extension
Scene: A devotee offers a single piṇḍa at the water’s edge; from the offering rises a luminous path lifting shadowy figures from hellish darkness and animal forms toward a bright, stable realm—visualizing ‘akṣayā gati’.
FAQs
Compassion expressed through ancestral offerings can generate lasting benefit, reaching even those in extreme states of suffering.
Dharmāraṇya is upheld as a potent setting where piṇḍadāna yields far-reaching, enduring results.
Even a single piṇḍa offering (sakṛt piṇḍapradāna) is stated to confer akṣaya-gati for the recipients.