Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32
प्रेतत्वात्सर्पदोषेण संजाता द्विजसत्तमाः । देवशर्मपुरो यावत्तत्कृतं श्राद्धमादरात् । तावत्पिता विनिर्मुक्तः प्रेतत्वाद्दारुणाद्द्विजाः
pretatvātsarpadoṣeṇa saṃjātā dvijasattamāḥ | devaśarmapuro yāvattatkṛtaṃ śrāddhamādarāt | tāvatpitā vinirmuktaḥ pretatvāddāruṇāddvijāḥ
Wahai yang terbaik di antara para dvija, keadaan preta itu timbul kerana sarpa-doṣa, kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan ular. Namun apabila śrāddha itu dilakukan dengan penuh hormat di hadapan Devaśarmā, maka ayahnya pun terbebas daripada keadaan preta yang mengerikan itu, wahai para dvija.
Local devotees/hosts (narrating a corrective precedent)
Tirtha: Nāga-tīrtha (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijasattamāḥ / dvijāḥ
Scene: Devaśarmā presides as the rajarṣi repeats the śrāddha with reverence; a symbolic release occurs—darkness lifting from the preta, suggesting liberation; serpent imagery indicates sarpa-doṣa being neutralized.
FAQs
When an obstacle like sarpa-doṣa exists, the remedy must be performed with proper authority and reverence; then ancestral liberation becomes possible.
The Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha setting where sarpa-related afflictions and preta-state are addressed through effective śrāddha.
A reverently performed śrāddha in the presence of a qualified brāhmaṇa (Devaśarmā) as a specific remedy for sarpa-doṣa-related preta-condition.