Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 66
पितृवंशे मृता ये च मातृवंशे तथैव च । अतीतगोत्रजास्तेभ्यः पिंडोऽयमुपतिष्ठतु
pitṛvaṃśe mṛtā ye ca mātṛvaṃśe tathaiva ca | atītagotrajāstebhyaḥ piṃḍo'yamupatiṣṭhatu
Semoga piṇḍa ini dipersembahkan kepada mereka yang telah wafat dalam susur galur bapa, dan demikian juga dalam susur galur ibu—para Pitṛ daripada gotra yang lampau dan telah dilupakan.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic instruction; this functions as the piṇḍa-mantra segment)
Listener: (Contextual) a deva addressed as ‘surasattama’ in adjacent verses; also the human audience of the Purāṇa
Scene: A householder at a riverbank or tīrtha platform offers a rounded piṇḍa with folded hands, mentally invoking paternal and maternal ancestors; faint ancestral silhouettes receive the offering in a calm, twilight atmosphere.
FAQs
Ancestral duty embraces both paternal and maternal lines, extending even to forgotten or unknown branches.
The mantra is given in the Dharmāraṇya/Lohayiṣṭakā ritual context implied by the surrounding verses.
A piṇḍa offering dedicated inclusively to deceased ancestors of both lines, including those of past/unknown gotras.