Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33
ततस्ताभिर्विनिर्मुक्तं तत्सर्वं भूमिमण्डलम् । पांसुभिः पूरितं प्रेतैर्दिवारात्रमतंद्रितैः
tatastābhirvinirmuktaṃ tatsarvaṃ bhūmimaṇḍalam | pāṃsubhiḥ pūritaṃ pretairdivārātramataṃdritaiḥ
Ensuite, toute l’étendue de la terre qu’elles avaient laissée fut remplie de poussière par des esprits errants et agités (prêta), œuvrant jour et nuit sans relâche.
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Vacated kṣetra (post-departure zone)
Type: kshetra
Scene: After the Mothers depart, the land becomes dusty and overrun by restless spirits working ceaselessly day and night, creating an atmosphere of desolation and dread.
FAQs
When divine protectors withdraw, disorder can veil sacredness; yet even concealment becomes part of the tīrtha’s mysterious mahātmya.
The episode explains the ‘Lupta’ (hidden/obscured) condition of the Lupta-tīrtha within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative.
No direct prescription appears; the verse provides etiological background for the tīrtha.