Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29
कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां श्रद्धायुक्तेन चेतसा । तासामनुचरा देवि भूतप्रेताश्च कोटिशः
kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ śraddhāyuktena cetasā | tāsāmanucarā devi bhūtapretāśca koṭiśaḥ
女神よ、暗月（クリシュナ・パクシャ）の第十四日に、信心に満ちた心をもって臨むとき、あの母神たちに仕える随従として、無数（コーティ）のブータとプレータがいる。
Śiva (deduced)
Tirtha: Mātṛ-sthānas of Prabhāsa (caturdaśī emphasis)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (explicitly addressed as devi)
Scene: Night of kṛṣṇa-pakṣa caturdaśī: devotees with lamps and offerings worship the Mothers; behind the shrines, vast hosts of bhūtas and pretas stand as disciplined attendants, forming a protective perimeter rather than a threat.
FAQs
Faith and correct ritual timing acknowledge unseen forces; worship aligns the devotee with protective divine order.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Mātṛs are worshipped and described with their attendant hosts.
Observance and worship context tied to Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturdaśī, performed with śraddhā.