Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57
देवानां चैव यत्कव्यं तन्नास्माकं प्रतृ प्तये । यतः क्रियाविहीनं तन्न तेषां विद्यते क्रिया
devānāṃ caiva yatkavyaṃ tannāsmākaṃ pratṛ ptaye | yataḥ kriyāvihīnaṃ tanna teṣāṃ vidyate kriyā
Et le kavya destiné aux dieux ne nous apporte pas la satiété. Car, pour nous, il est dépourvu du rite requis; cette action rituelle ne leur appartient pas à notre égard.
Pitṛs (ancestors)
Scene: A didactic moment: Pitṛs explain to the lord that deva-directed kavya does not satisfy them due to absence of the proper rite; visual contrast between deva-offering and pitṛ-offering is implied.
FAQs
Dharma requires correctness of intention and recipient: offerings must be properly addressed and ritually appropriate to bear fruit.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches ritual differentiation, a key theme in tīrtha-based śrāddha practice.
It prescribes correct targeting of offerings: deva-kavya is distinct from pitṛ-kavya; pitṛ satisfaction needs pitṛ-intended rites.