Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21
पुरुषोत्तमनामाढ्यं क्षेत्रं च धनुषां शतम् । तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे स चापश्यत्पंच प्रेतान्सुदारुणान्
puruṣottamanāmāḍhyaṃ kṣetraṃ ca dhanuṣāṃ śatam | tasminkṣetre sa cāpaśyatpaṃca pretānsudāruṇān
ते क्षेत्र ‘पुरुषोत्तम’ या नावाने प्रसिद्ध होते आणि शंभर धनुष्य-परिमाण विस्तारलेले होते। त्या क्षेत्रात त्याने पाच अत्यंत भयानक प्रेत पाहिले।
Narrator
Tirtha: Puruṣottama-kṣetra (sub-region) connected to Preta-tīrtha/Gātra-vimocana episode
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śrī Devī
Scene: In a defined sacred field called Puruṣottama, Gautama beholds five terrifying pretas—gaunt forms, hollow eyes—yet the scene is framed as a prelude to their release, with a sanctified aura over the ground.
FAQs
Even within renowned sacred regions, beings in suffering states may appear—highlighting the need for tīrtha-grace and liberation themes.
Puruṣottama-named kṣetra associated with the narrative background for Preta-tīrtha in Prabhāsa.
No explicit prescription; the verse introduces the sighting that prompts the ensuing explanation.