Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20
तस्य तन्निष्फलं भावि भुक्तं प्रेतैश्च राक्षसैः । इत्युक्त्वा भगवान्रुद्रस्तत्रैवां तरधीयत
tasya tanniṣphalaṃ bhāvi bhuktaṃ pretaiśca rākṣasaiḥ | ityuktvā bhagavānrudrastatraivāṃ taradhīyata
“അവന്റെ ആ കൃത്യം ഫലരഹിതമാകും; അവന്റെ നൈവേദ്യം പ്രേതന്മാരും രാക്ഷസന്മാരും ഭക്ഷിക്കും.” ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് ഭഗവാൻ രുദ്രൻ അവിടെയേ തന്നെ അന്തർധാനം ചെയ്തു.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating; Rudra is quoted within the narration
Tirtha: Kṣetrapāla protocol (general)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Rudra warns that acts done without worship become fruitless and offerings are consumed by pretas and rākṣasas; after speaking, he vanishes on the spot, leaving a charged silence.
FAQs
If sacred rites are performed wrongly or without due propriety, their merit can be lost and the offering becomes vulnerable to impure forces.
This verse functions as a general Mahātmya-style admonition within the Kṣetrapāla section; a specific named tīrtha is not explicit in the snippet.
An implied prescription: ensure correct, protected worship so offerings are not rendered “niṣphala” (fruitless) or seized by pretas/rākṣasas.