Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54
यथा स्युर्देवता व्यग्रास्तदाऽस्माकमपि प्रभो कव्यं विना भवेदेषा दशा कष्टा सुरेश्वर
yathā syurdevatā vyagrāstadā'smākamapi prabho kavyaṃ vinā bhavedeṣā daśā kaṣṭā sureśvara
De même que les dieux sont tourmentés, ainsi le sommes-nous aussi, ô Seigneur. Sans le kavya, cet état pénible nous échoit, ô Maître des dieux.
Pitṛs (ancestors)
Scene: A group of Pitṛs, subtle-bodied and anxious, petition a radiant Sura-īśvara; their hands folded, faces drawn with hunger for kavya; a tīrtha backdrop suggested by water and ritual vessels.
FAQs
Ritual reciprocity is a dharmic bond: ancestors depend on kavya, and neglect causes suffering; proper rites restore cosmic harmony.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya theme that such rites are especially efficacious at sacred places.
Kavya (śrāddha offering) is explicitly stated as necessary; its absence leads to hardship for pitṛs.