Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5
भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । येषां गतिर्न संजाता प्रेतत्वे च व्यवस्थिताः । दर्शयंति च ते सर्वे स्वयमात्मानमेव हि
bhartṛyajña uvāca | yeṣāṃ gatirna saṃjātā pretatve ca vyavasthitāḥ | darśayaṃti ca te sarve svayamātmānameva hi
Bhartṛyajña bersabda: Mereka yang belum ditetapkan perjalanan seterusnya dan masih berada dalam keadaan preta—semua makhluk itu sesungguhnya menzahirkan diri (dalam mimpi), dalam rupa mereka sendiri.
Bhartṛyajña
Listener: Ānarta
Scene: The sage explains that those without secured gati appear in dreams; depict a dream-vision where the preta appears clearly, contrasted with the serene, integrated pitṛs who remain unseen yet satisfied.
FAQs
When post-death transition is incomplete, the departed may seek attention; dharma urges the living to complete the rites that grant ‘gati’.
The verse is explanatory (preta and dreams) within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya setting, without naming a separate tīrtha.
Implicitly, it points toward completing the rites (notably sapiṇḍīkaraṇa/śrāddha) so the deceased attains gati and does not remain preta.