Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72
भूताः प्रेताः पिशाचाश्च ये चान्ये श्राद्धहारकाः । विश्वेदेवैः प्ररक्ष्यंते रक्षयिष्यामि तानहम्
bhūtāḥ pretāḥ piśācāśca ye cānye śrāddhahārakāḥ | viśvedevaiḥ prarakṣyaṃte rakṣayiṣyāmi tānaham
“Adapun para bhūta, preta, piśāca dan segala makhluk lain yang merampas persembahan śrāddha—mereka yang dilindungi oleh Viśvedeva—aku sendiri akan melindungi mereka.”
Sahasrākṣa (Indra) (deduced from immediate narrative context in this adhyāya)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Narrative audience (king/brāhmaṇas implied)
Scene: Indra declares protection against bhūtas, pretas, piśācas and other śrāddha-stealers; Viśvedevās stand as a luminous protective circle around the rite.
FAQs
Śrāddha is a protected dharmic rite; divine guardianship ensures offerings reach their proper recipients when performed correctly.
This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the snippet emphasizes tīrtha-based śrāddha sanctity rather than naming a single site in this line.
Protection of śrāddha offerings is discussed; the implied prescription is to perform śrāddha in the proper protected manner under Viśvedevā invocation.