Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76
विधिना कुरुते यस्तु नीलोत्सर्गं च तत्तटे । प्रेता नैव कुले तस्य यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश
vidhinā kurute yastu nīlotsargaṃ ca tattaṭe | pretā naiva kule tasya yāvadiṃdrāścaturdaśa
വിധിപൂർവം ആ തീരത്ത് നീലോത്സർഗം ചെയ്യുന്നവന്റെ വംശത്തിൽ പതിനാലു ഇന്ദ്രന്മാരുടെ കാലംവരെ പ്രേതം ഉദിക്കുകയില്ല।
Vyāsa (deduced from immediate surrounding dialogue style; exact speaker not explicit in this single verse)
Tirtha: Devakhāta
Type: ghat
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by v.80; narrative frame suggests a Mahābhārata-linked dialogue setting)
Scene: A pilgrim at a sacred riverbank performs a solemn nīlotsarga offering with ritual vessels, kusa grass, and a small altar, while elders/priests witness; the river glows with tīrtha-aura.
FAQs
Ritual action performed with proper vidhi at a sacred tirtha is said to protect one’s lineage from preta-affliction for vast cosmic periods.
The verse points to the sacred bank connected with Devakhāta (context from the surrounding Devakhāta-māhātmya passage).
Performing nīlotsarga (a named offering/rite) in the proper prescribed manner at the tirtha’s bank.