Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
स्वकर्मोपार्जितैर्वित्तैः श्राद्धकार्याणि चाहरेत् । मायादिभिर्न चौर्येण न च्छलाप्तैर्न वंचनैः । स्ववृत्त्योपार्जितैर्वित्तैः श्राद्धद्रव्यं समाहरेत् । सुप्रतिग्रहजैर्द्रव्यैर्ब्राह्मणानां विशिष्यते
svakarmopārjitairvittaiḥ śrāddhakāryāṇi cāharet | māyādibhirna cauryeṇa na cchalāptairna vaṃcanaiḥ | svavṛttyopārjitairvittaiḥ śrāddhadravyaṃ samāharet | supratigrahajairdravyairbrāhmaṇānāṃ viśiṣyate
Que l’on procure les requis du Śrāddha avec une richesse acquise par son propre labeur juste : ni par ruse et tromperie, ni par vol, ni par gains mal acquis au moyen de stratagèmes, ni par fraude. Avec ce que l’on obtient d’un moyen d’existence droit, qu’on rassemble les offrandes du Śrāddha. Pour les brāhmaṇas, ce qui est obtenu par une acceptation convenable et sans tache (supratigraha) est tout particulièrement loué.
Bhartṛyajña (contextual continuation)
Listener: Ānarta (king)
Scene: Didactic tableau showing two paths: on one side honest labor and lawful earnings gathered for Śrāddha; on the other, shadowy figures of theft/deceit rejected—emphasizing moral economy.
FAQs
Ritual merit depends on moral purity: offerings for ancestors must be supported by honest livelihood, not by unethical gain.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides universal dharma for Śrāddha within a tīrtha-oriented section.
Gather Śrāddha requisites only from rightful earnings; explicitly avoid wealth obtained through deceit, theft, fraud, or cheating; brāhmaṇas should use blamelessly accepted resources.