Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
श्राद्धं विनापि दत्तेन श्रुतिरेषा पुरातनी । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पित्र्यर्क्ष्ये समुपस्थिते । त्रयोदश्यां नभस्यस्य हस्तगे दिननायके
śrāddhaṃ vināpi dattena śrutireṣā purātanī | tasmātsarvaprayatnena pitryarkṣye samupasthite | trayodaśyāṃ nabhasyasya hastage dinanāyake
Telle est une antique tradition de la śruti : même en l’absence d’un śrāddha formel, le don offert garde sa puissance religieuse. C’est pourquoi, avec tous les efforts, lorsque l’astérisme des Pitṛs est arrivé—le treizième jour du mois Nabhasya, quand le Soleil est en Hasta—qu’on accomplisse le don prescrit.
Unnamed narrator/teacher in Nāgarakhaṇḍa
Type: kshetra
Listener: pārthiva (king)
Scene: A sage cites ancient śruti while pointing to the sky-chart: the Sun aligned with Hasta; a calendar leaf marks Nabhasya Trayodaśī; devotees prepare simple gifts even without full śrāddha setup.
FAQs
Scriptural tradition upholds that sincere giving, properly timed and dedicated, remains potent even when full ritual formality is not possible.
The verse belongs to a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the line itself foregrounds calendrical timing (tithi/nakṣatra) rather than a named site.
Make the prescribed pitṛ-oriented gifts with special effort on Bhādrapada (Nabhasya) trayodaśī when the Sun is in Hasta and the Pitṛ-asterism is present.