Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72
भूताः प्रेताः पिशाचाश्च ये चान्ये श्राद्धहारकाः । विश्वेदेवैः प्ररक्ष्यंते रक्षयिष्यामि तानहम्
bhūtāḥ pretāḥ piśācāśca ye cānye śrāddhahārakāḥ | viśvedevaiḥ prarakṣyaṃte rakṣayiṣyāmi tānaham
«Quant aux bhūtas, pretas, piśācas et à tous les autres qui dérobent les offrandes du śrāddha—ceux que gardent les Viśvedevās, moi-même je les protégerai.»
Sahasrākṣa (Indra) (deduced from immediate narrative context in this adhyāya)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Narrative audience (king/brāhmaṇas implied)
Scene: Indra declares protection against bhūtas, pretas, piśācas and other śrāddha-stealers; Viśvedevās stand as a luminous protective circle around the rite.
FAQs
Śrāddha is a protected dharmic rite; divine guardianship ensures offerings reach their proper recipients when performed correctly.
This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the snippet emphasizes tīrtha-based śrāddha sanctity rather than naming a single site in this line.
Protection of śrāddha offerings is discussed; the implied prescription is to perform śrāddha in the proper protected manner under Viśvedevā invocation.