Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
शिष्यश्च रक्षितो मृत्योस्तथाश्वत्थो वनांतिगः । किमेते नैव कथिता यत्त्वमेवं प्रजल्पसि
śiṣyaśca rakṣito mṛtyostathāśvattho vanāṃtigaḥ | kimete naiva kathitā yattvamevaṃ prajalpasi
Et qu’en est-il du disciple sauvé de la mort, de l’aśvattha tenu pour fils de substitution, et de celui qui demeure aux lisières de la forêt—pourquoi ne les as-tu pas mentionnés, si tu parles ainsi ?
Ānarta (questioning Bhartṛyajña)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Questioning interlocutor (speaker of this verse; unnamed here)
Scene: A questioning interlocutor gestures toward the teacher, listing ‘śiṣya’ and other substitutes; the teacher pauses, indicating a scholastic debate. Background shows a peepal (aśvattha) tree, hinting at ‘aśvattha-putra’.
FAQs
Dharma teachings invite clarification: when duties affect ancestors, one should seek precise understanding rather than assume incomplete rules.
No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is part of the śrāddha doctrinal dialogue within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya frame.
It raises the issue of additional ‘son-like’ categories potentially eligible for ancestral rites, prompting a doctrinal clarification.