Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
अश्वविक्रयिणो ये च परद्रव्यहराश्च ये । अनाथाः कृपणा दीना मानुष्यं प्राप्तुमक्षमाः
aśvavikrayiṇo ye ca paradravyaharāśca ye | anāthāḥ kṛpaṇā dīnā mānuṣyaṃ prāptumakṣamāḥ
Mereka yang memperdagangkan kuda, yang merampas harta orang lain, dan yang menjadi tak berdaya—tanpa pelindung, papa, dan jatuh—tak mampu meraih kelahiran sebagai manusia kembali; semuanya pun termasuk (dalam uraian ritus penyucian ini).
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Gaṅgā-tīra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Helpless departed unable to regain human birth are envisioned near the Gaṅgā, awaiting a living benefactor’s rite; Kāśī’s ghāṭas stand as a compassionate threshold.
FAQs
Karma can lead to severe post-mortem distress and loss of higher opportunity (human birth), but dharmic interventions—especially in sanctified places—are presented as compassionate remedies.
The chapter context is Kāśī, moving toward the glorification of the Uttaravāhinī Gaṅgā as a liberating tirtha.
The verse sets up who may benefit; the prescriptions of tarpaṇa/śrāddha/piṇḍa-dāna appear explicitly in the next verses.