Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 87
तं च स्माशानिकानाम गणा याम्या भयावहाः । शीतवातातपोपेतं तत्र रक्षंति पापिनम्
taṃ ca smāśānikānāma gaṇā yāmyā bhayāvahāḥ | śītavātātapopetaṃ tatra rakṣaṃti pāpinam
वहाँ ‘श्मशानिक’ नामक यम-से भयावह गण रहते हैं। वे शीत, वायु और तीव्र ताप से पीड़ित पापी की वहाँ रखवाली करते हैं।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)
Scene: A bleak cremation-ground-like landscape in the otherworld: dark attendants of Yama (smāśānikas) stand guard over a trembling preta, buffeted by cold winds and scorching rays.
FAQs
Sin leads to fear and hardship after death; the verse warns toward ethical living and timely rites.
No tīrtha is praised; the verse is a moral-cosmological warning within the afterlife narrative.
No direct prescription; it reinforces the urgency of dharma and the supportive role of śrāddha described nearby.
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