Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 153
महाकाल उवाच । सत्यमेततस्वकर्मस्थाः पितरो यन्नृपोत्तम । किं तु देवासुराणां च यक्षादीनाममूर्तकाः
mahākāla uvāca | satyametatasvakarmasthāḥ pitaro yannṛpottama | kiṃ tu devāsurāṇāṃ ca yakṣādīnāmamūrtakāḥ
Mahākāla bersabda: “Benar demikian, wahai raja terbaik; para Pitṛ berada pada keadaan yang ditentukan oleh karma mereka sendiri. Namun ada pula makhluk halus tak berwujud—dari para dewa, asura, yakṣa, dan lainnya.”
Mahākāla
Listener: a king (nṛpa-uttama)
Scene: Mahākāla speaks to a king: behind them a cosmic tableau shows multiple subtle orders—devas, asuras, yakṣas—rendered as translucent forms, while pitṛs appear in karma-determined stations, emphasizing layered reality.
FAQs
Karma governs embodied destinies, but Purāṇic cosmology also recognizes subtle orders of beings, allowing for non-obvious modes of reception and transmission of offerings and blessings.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse, though the speaker Mahākāla often evokes Śaiva sacred geography in broader context.
No direct prescription; it begins a doctrinal clarification regarding Śrāddha and the Pitṛs.