Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51
प्रेतत्वं याति येनेदं त्वत्प्र सादात्सुदारुणम् । नाऽन्यथा मुक्तिरस्माकं भविष्यति कथंचन
pretatvaṃ yāti yenedaṃ tvatpra sādātsudāruṇam | nā'nyathā muktirasmākaṃ bhaviṣyati kathaṃcana
Dengan rahmatmu, keadaan yang amat mengerikan ini telah menjadi keadaan sebagai preta. Selain itu, tiada jalan lain sama sekali bagi kami untuk mencapai mokṣa (pembebasan).
Unnamed preta (one among the pretas speaking to the king)
Scene: A suffering preta, subtle-bodied and anxious, addresses the king with folded hands, acknowledging the king’s grace as the only bridge to liberation; the atmosphere is twilight-like and liminal.
FAQs
Liberation is not merely a change of condition; without the right means (especially dharmic agency and divine/saintly grace), mokṣa remains unattainable.
This verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya framework in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha; it emphasizes the existential plight that tīrtha-guided dharma aims to remedy.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it underscores the necessity of a liberating means rather than detailing snāna, dāna, or japa.