Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 128
कुर्वते यदि मोहाद्वा प्रेतत्वं शाश्वतं ततः । नापयाति कृतैः पुण्यैर्बहुशस्तीर्थसेवनैः
kurvate yadi mohādvā pretatvaṃ śāśvataṃ tataḥ | nāpayāti kṛtaiḥ puṇyairbahuśastīrthasevanaiḥ
മോഹവശാല് ഒരാള് അതിനെ (വിധിവിരുദ്ധമായി) ചെയ്താല്, അതില്നിന്ന് ശാശ്വത പ്രേതത്വം ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു. അനവധി പുണ്യകര്മ്മങ്ങളാലും പലതവണ തീര്ഥസേവനങ്ങളാലും പോലും അത് എളുപ്പത്തില് നീങ്ങുകയില്ല.
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee, having performed a rite wrongly, is shown in a liminal preta-like state near a desolate shore; in contrast, a correctly guided ritual scene appears as a luminous counterpoint, emphasizing the need for right knowledge.
FAQs
Deliberate or careless ritual error is treated as grave; spiritual consequences may persist beyond ordinary acts of merit.
Tīrtha-sevā is mentioned generally; the surrounding narrative belongs to Dvārakā Māhātmya.
An implicit prohibition: do not perform the rite in the wrong tithi/condition, thinking it will be ‘fixed’ later by pilgrimages.