Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58
साक्षिणः संतु मे देवा ब्रह्माद्या ऋषिपुंगवाः । मयेदं तीर्थमासाद्य पितॄणां निष्कृतिः कृता
sākṣiṇaḥ saṃtu me devā brahmādyā ṛṣipuṃgavāḥ | mayedaṃ tīrthamāsādya pitṝṇāṃ niṣkṛtiḥ kṛtā
Biarlah para dewa—Brahmā dan yang lain—serta para resi terunggul menjadi saksi bagiku: setelah aku sampai ke tīrtha ini, telah kulaksanakan penebusan dan pelepasan yang wajib bagi para leluhurku.
Ritual performer (the śrāddha-doer speaking a declaration at the tīrtha)
Tirtha: Goṣpada-tīrtha (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)
Type: ghat
Scene: The performer stands with folded hands at the water’s edge, facing the tīrtha, uttering a solemn declaration; above, subtle ethereal forms of Brahmā and other devas and ṛṣis appear as witnesses; offered piṇḍas and ritual items remain in the foreground.
FAQs
One should anchor sacred rites in truth and accountability—invoking divine witnesses affirms sincerity in serving the ancestors.
The statement is made after reaching the tīrtha described in this chapter—Goṣpada Tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.
A formal declaration (saṅkalpa-like witness-invocation) that pitṛ expiation has been completed upon arriving at the tīrtha.