Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49
सर्पमृत्योः सकाशान्मे प्रेतत्वं पुत्र संस्थितम् । तेन मे भवता दत्तं न किञ्चिदुपतिष्ठते
sarpamṛtyoḥ sakāśānme pretatvaṃ putra saṃsthitam | tena me bhavatā dattaṃ na kiñcidupatiṣṭhate
മകനേ, സർപ്പമരണത്തിന്റെ കാരണത്താൽ ഞാൻ പ്രേതാവസ്ഥയിൽ പതിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ നീ അർപ്പിച്ചതൊന്നും എനിക്ക് ലഭിക്കുന്നില്ല।
The father (deceased king) speaking to his son in a dream
Scene: In the dream, the sorrowful father confesses: due to death by serpent, he remains a preta; the son’s offerings do not reach him, heightening the tragedy and urgency.
FAQs
The text teaches that specific causes of death can require specific remedial rites; dharma is not merely ritual, but appropriately directed ritual.
No tīrtha is named yet; the need for a particular kṣetra-based rite is introduced here.
It implies that ordinary offerings are ineffective in this condition and that a specialized śrāddha (to be specified next) is required.