Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
केचिच्चतुर्थं कुर्वंति प्रेतं च स्वपितुस्ततः । पितुः पूर्वं भवेच्छ्राद्धं परं नैतन्मतं मम
keciccaturthaṃ kurvaṃti pretaṃ ca svapitustataḥ | pituḥ pūrvaṃ bhavecchrāddhaṃ paraṃ naitanmataṃ mama
Sebagian orang melakukan bagian keempat, lalu menganggap ayahnya sendiri sebagai preta. Dalam tata itu śrāddha untuk ayah menjadi lebih dahulu, namun itu bukan pendapatku.
Skanda (deduced)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim/householder audience (implied)
Scene: A śrāddha setting with a householder and officiating brāhmaṇa debating procedure; a symbolic ‘preta’ marker is rejected, emphasizing correct ancestral order.
FAQs
Not all popular ritual variations are endorsed; one should follow an authoritative, dharmic sequence rather than improvisation.
The tīrtha context is general; no particular sacred place is named in this verse.
It rejects the practice of adding a “fourth” share and thereby classifying one’s father as a preta in the ritual sequence.