Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36
मदीयाः पितरो ये च कुले जाताः सनाभयः । तेषां पिण्डप्रदाताऽहमागतोऽस्मिन्पितामहाः
madīyāḥ pitaro ye ca kule jātāḥ sanābhayaḥ | teṣāṃ piṇḍapradātā'hamāgato'sminpitāmahāḥ
Ô grands-pères ancestraux : à ces pères miens nés dans ma lignée, parents d’un même sang, je suis venu ici comme donateur des piṇḍa, les boulettes de riz offertes aux défunts.
Ritual formula prescribed in the narrative (addressing the Pitṛs)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
Scene: A devotee kneels at the tīrtha edge with darbha and a leaf-plate of rice-balls, addressing unseen ancestors as ‘pitāmaha’ and offering piṇḍas for the whole lineage.
FAQs
Honoring one’s lineage through offerings is a key duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa) and sustains dharma across generations.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where ancestor offerings are described as especially efficacious.
Declaring oneself as the piṇḍa-giver to one’s ancestors as part of the śrāddha invocation at the tīrtha.