Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16
तस्यापि प्रेतकार्याणि मृतस्यापि करोषि किम् । एतन्नः सर्वमाचक्ष्व न चेद्गुह्यं व्यवस्थितम्
tasyāpi pretakāryāṇi mṛtasyāpi karoṣi kim | etannaḥ sarvamācakṣva na cedguhyaṃ vyavasthitam
“Dan mengapakah engkau juga melakukan upacara untuk roh si mati baginya, walaupun dia telah meninggal? Terangkanlah kepada kami semuanya, jika hal itu bukan rahsia yang harus disimpan.”
Family members/relatives addressing the brāhmaṇa
Type: kshetra
Scene: Relatives press for explanation, pointing to ritual items; the protagonist stands between them and the memory of the deceased cowherd; the atmosphere is charged with the question of propriety vs compassion.
FAQs
Ritual duty is not mere custom; it rests on deeper moral and karmic reasons that tradition invites seekers to understand.
Not identified in this verse; the broader Tīrthamāhātmya setting implies sacred context for such rites.
The performance of ‘pretakārya’ (post-death rites) is explicitly referenced.