Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
पितामहाद्यास्तत्राह्नि श्राद्धं नार्हंति कुत्रचित् । अथ चेद्भ्रांतितो दद्याद्धियते राक्षसैस्तु तत्
pitāmahādyāstatrāhni śrāddhaṃ nārhaṃti kutracit | atha cedbhrāṃtito dadyāddhiyate rākṣasaistu tat
En ce jour-là, le grand-père et les autres ancêtres ne sont nulle part en droit de recevoir le śrāddha. Et si, par égarement, on l’offre, cette offrande est saisie par les rākṣasas.
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher addressing a king)
Scene: A cautionary allegory: a family attempts to offer śrāddha to ancestors on the wrong day; shadowy rākṣasas seize the offerings, while a priest warns them—contrasting light (proper rite) and darkness (confusion).
FAQs
Ritual correctness safeguards merit: misdirected offerings do not reach the intended ancestors and can become spiritually fruitless.
The verse is primarily a śrāddha-vidhi warning; it does not name a particular tīrtha in this line.
It forbids offering śrāddha to pitāmaha and other ancestors on that day; if done mistakenly, the offering is said to be appropriated by rākṣasas.