Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13
तस्मान्न दक्षिणाहीनं श्राद्धं कार्यं विपश्चिता । य इच्छेच्छाश्वतीं तृप्तिं पितॄणामात्मनश्च यः
tasmānna dakṣiṇāhīnaṃ śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ vipaścitā | ya icchecchāśvatīṃ tṛptiṃ pitṝṇāmātmanaśca yaḥ
C’est pourquoi le sage ne doit pas accomplir un śrāddha dépourvu de dakṣiṇā—s’il souhaite une satisfaction éternelle pour les Pitṛs et pour lui-même aussi.
Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue voice)
Scene: A ‘vipascit’ (wise householder) preparing dakṣiṇā before beginning śrāddha—cloth folded, coins or grains measured—signaling foresight; pitṛs symbolically present as subtle, benevolent witnesses.
FAQs
Śrāddha is not merely formal; generosity (dakṣiṇā) is integral to securing enduring benefit for ancestors and the performer.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides a general śrāddha injunction within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.
Do not perform śrāddha without dakṣiṇā if the goal is lasting pitṛ-tṛpti (ancestor satisfaction) and personal merit.