Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15
जात्यंतरसहस्रेषु भ्राम्यंते ये स्वकर्मभिः । ये तु पक्षिमृगादीनां कीटवृक्षादि वीरुधाम्
jātyaṃtarasahasreṣu bhrāmyaṃte ye svakarmabhiḥ | ye tu pakṣimṛgādīnāṃ kīṭavṛkṣādi vīrudhām
Mereka yang didorong oleh karma sendiri mengembara melalui ribuan kelahiran lain; yang memasuki rahim burung dan binatang, dan yang menjadi serangga, pepohon serta tumbuhan menjalar—semuanya termasuk.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Frame audience of ṛṣis / pilgrims
Scene: A panoramic cycle-of-births depiction: jīvas moving through birds, beasts, insects, trees, and creepers, with Kāśī’s luminous skyline as the axis of liberation.
FAQs
The Purāṇic dharma vision is universal: ritual compassion extends to souls caught in saṃsāra across many species.
The broader Kāśī–Gaṅgā context suggests that offerings there are efficacious for beings across rebirth states.
While performing pitṛkarman/tarpaṇa, one may intend the benefit also for those reborn as animals, insects, trees, and plants.