Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3
पितरो मुनयो देवा भूतानि मनुजास्तथा । क्रिमिकीटपतंगाश्च वयांसि पितरोऽसुराः
pitaro munayo devā bhūtāni manujāstathā | krimikīṭapataṃgāśca vayāṃsi pitaro'surāḥ
पितरः मुनयः देवाः भूतानि मनुजास्तथा । कृमिकीटपतङ्गाश्च वयांसि पितरोऽसुराः—एते सर्वेऽपि धर्मव्यवस्थया पोष्यन्ते।
Skanda (deduced from Purāṇic dialogue style within Brāhma Khaṇḍa sections)
Scene: A panoramic cosmic tableau: devas, ṛṣis, pitṛs, humans, birds, insects, and asuras arranged in concentric tiers around a central emblem of dharma (a radiant cow or yajña-fire), indicating shared dependence.
FAQs
All classes of beings are interconnected and sustained through dharma; one should not live selfishly but uphold the sustaining order of life.
The verse is framed within Dharmāraṇya’s teaching context; it emphasizes dharma’s sustaining power more than naming a single tirtha in this line.
Implicitly, the maintenance of dharmic support—classically through yajña, dāna, and hospitality—by which devas and pitṛs are sustained.