Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27
ये चादग्धाः कुले बालाः स्त्रियो याश्चाप्यसंस्कृताः । विपन्नास्ते तु विकिरसंमार्जनसुलालसाः
ye cādagdhāḥ kule bālāḥ striyo yāścāpyasaṃskṛtāḥ | vipannāste tu vikirasaṃmārjanasulālasāḥ
Et ceux de la lignée qui ne furent pas incinérés—les enfants, et aussi les femmes privées des rites prescrits—lorsqu’ils tombent dans le malheur, recherchent avidement même les restes épars et les balayures des offrandes pour leur soulagement.
Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Implied younger addressee (putraka) continuing from prior verses
Scene: A śrāddha ground after offerings: scattered rice and sweepings; in the liminal space, distressed subtle beings—uncremated children and uninitiated women—reach toward the remnants, conveying the pathos of neglected rites.
FAQs
Neglect of final rites leaves beings distressed; hence offerings and proper saṃskāras are acts of compassion and dharma.
The broader Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, where Śrāddha and related rites are praised as especially efficacious.
It underscores the necessity of antyeṣṭi/saṃskāras and the potency of Śrāddha offerings—even their remnants—for the afflicted departed.