Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 112
चन्द्रशर्मोवाच । इष्टं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं भवद्भिर्मत्पितामहैः । प्रेतत्वे कारणं यत्स्याद्भवतां विस्मयो मम
candraśarmovāca | iṣṭaṃ dattaṃ tapastaptaṃ bhavadbhirmatpitāmahaiḥ | pretatve kāraṇaṃ yatsyādbhavatāṃ vismayo mama
चन्द्रशर्मोवाच—भवद्भिर्मत्पितामहैः इष्टं दत्तं तपश्च तप्तम्। कथं नु भवतां प्रेतत्वहेतुरभवत्? एतन्मम विस्मयः।
Candraśarman
Tirtha: Dvārakā (Hari-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pretas (his forefathers)
Scene: Candraśarman, composed yet astonished, addresses the sorrowful ancestral pretas, gesturing toward the paradox of their fall despite sacrifices, gifts, and tapas.
FAQs
External merits like sacrifice, charity, and austerity must be aligned with correct dharma and devotion; otherwise spiritual downfall is still possible.
The broader narrative belongs to the Dvārakā Māhātmya within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, celebrating Dvārakā and Vāsudeva’s sacred sphere.
Sacrifice (iṣṭa), charity (dāna), and austerity (tapas) are referenced as performed practices, prompting inquiry into their insufficiency in this case.