Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन श्राद्धं तत्र समाचरेत् । काले वा । यदि वाऽकाले पितॄणां तुष्टये सदा
tasmātsarvaprayatnena śrāddhaṃ tatra samācaret | kāle vā | yadi vā'kāle pitṝṇāṃ tuṣṭaye sadā
അതുകൊണ്ട് എല്ലാ ശ്രമത്തോടെയും അവിടെ ശ്രാദ്ധം ആചരിക്കണം—കാലത്തായാലും അകാലത്തായാലും—കാരണം അതിനാൽ പിതാക്കൾ എപ്പോഴും തൃപ്തരാകുന്നു।
Narrator (contextual; within Tīrthamāhātmya discourse)
Tirtha: Pitṛkūpikā (implied)
Type: kund
Scene: A pilgrim or householder performing śrāddha near a sacred well—darbha grass, piṇḍa offerings, water libations—while unseen Pitṛs receive and are appeased, suggesting timeless acceptance beyond calendrical limits.
FAQs
At a powerful tīrtha, sincere ancestral worship (śrāddha) bears fruit even beyond strict calendrical constraints, because the aim is pitṛ-tṛpti (satisfaction of the ancestors).
The verse refers to “that place” (tatra) within the ongoing Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative, i.e., the currently described tīrtha celebrated for pitṛ-related rites.
Perform śrāddha at the tīrtha—ideally in the proper time (kāla), but it is also commended even if done at an unusual time (akāla) for pitṛ-satisfaction.