Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 146
प्रेता ऊचुः । मा गयां मा प्रयागं च पुष्करे कुरुजांगले । अयोध्यायामवंत्यां वा मधुरायां न चार्बुदे
pretā ūcuḥ | mā gayāṃ mā prayāgaṃ ca puṣkare kurujāṃgale | ayodhyāyāmavaṃtyāṃ vā madhurāyāṃ na cārbude
Para preta berkata: “Bukan Gayā, bukan Prayāga, bukan Puṣkara, bukan pula Kurujāṅgala; bukan Ayodhyā, bukan Avanti, bukan Mathurā, dan bukan Arbuda—(tiada yang menandingi dalam hal ini).”
Pretāḥ (departed spirits)
Tirtha: Gomatī-tīra at Dvārakā (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Unspecified addressee within the narrative (likely a living interlocutor/descendant or a guide figure)
Scene: A chorus of pretas (restless spirits) speak in supplication, gesturing as if dismissing renowned tīrthas one by one, while the horizon hints at Dvārakā’s sacred shoreline as the true refuge.
FAQs
In Kali Yuga, specific divinely-appointed tīrthas may grant unique, immediate relief beyond even renowned pilgrimage centers.
By contrast, the passage is setting up the exceptional greatness of Gomati and Dvārakā.
Implicit instruction: seek the indicated superior tīrtha for preta-nivṛtti rather than relying only on famed sites.