Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
श्राद्धं विनापि दत्तेन श्रुतिरेषा पुरातनी । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पित्र्यर्क्ष्ये समुपस्थिते । त्रयोदश्यां नभस्यस्य हस्तगे दिननायके
śrāddhaṃ vināpi dattena śrutireṣā purātanī | tasmātsarvaprayatnena pitryarkṣye samupasthite | trayodaśyāṃ nabhasyasya hastage dinanāyake
Inilah ajaran śruti yang purba: walaupun tanpa śrāddha yang rasmi, pemberian yang dilakukan tetap mempunyai daya keagamaan. Oleh itu, dengan segala usaha, apabila asterisme Pitṛ telah tiba—pada hari ketiga belas bulan Nabhasya, ketika Matahari berada di Hasta—laksanakanlah pemberian yang ditetapkan.
Unnamed narrator/teacher in Nāgarakhaṇḍa
Type: kshetra
Listener: pārthiva (king)
Scene: A sage cites ancient śruti while pointing to the sky-chart: the Sun aligned with Hasta; a calendar leaf marks Nabhasya Trayodaśī; devotees prepare simple gifts even without full śrāddha setup.
FAQs
Scriptural tradition upholds that sincere giving, properly timed and dedicated, remains potent even when full ritual formality is not possible.
The verse belongs to a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the line itself foregrounds calendrical timing (tithi/nakṣatra) rather than a named site.
Make the prescribed pitṛ-oriented gifts with special effort on Bhādrapada (Nabhasya) trayodaśī when the Sun is in Hasta and the Pitṛ-asterism is present.