Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
अपि प्रेतत्वमापन्नं नरके वा समाश्रितम् । उद्धरिष्यति स प्रेतमपि पापसमन्वितम्
api pretatvamāpannaṃ narake vā samāśritam | uddhariṣyati sa pretamapi pāpasamanvitam
“Sekalipun arwah itu telah jatuh ke keadaan preta atau berdiam di neraka, orang itu akan mengangkat dan menyelamatkan sang preta—meski dipenuhi beban dosa.”
Pitṛs (ancestors) (continuation of the śrāddha-fruit statement)
Tirtha: Rāmahrada
Type: kund
Listener: Rāma (and future ritualists)
Scene: A devotee’s śrāddha offerings at the hrada send a stream of light to a suffering preta and to a shadowed naraka realm; the spirit is lifted upward, shedding dark stains of pāpa.
FAQs
Śrāddha performed with faith is framed as an act of rescue and compassion, capable of alleviating severe post-mortem suffering.
The promised deliverance is linked to the Rāmahrada tīrtha context established in the chapter.
The efficacy (phala) of śrāddha is emphasized: it can uplift even a preta or a being in naraka, despite sin.