Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36
अग्निष्वात्ताः पितृगणास्तथा बर्हिषदश्च ये । तत्र संनिहिता नित्यमाज्यपाः सोमपास्तथा
agniṣvāttāḥ pitṛgaṇāstathā barhiṣadaśca ye | tatra saṃnihitā nityamājyapāḥ somapāstathā
அக்னிஷ்வாத்தர் எனப்படும் பித்ருகணங்களும், பர்ஹிஷதர் எனப்படும் பித்ருகளும்; மேலும் ஆஜ்யபர், சோமபர் ஆகியோரும்—அங்கே எப்போதும் நித்தியமாகச் சன்னிதியாக இருக்கின்றனர்।
Sūta (doctrinal/mahatmya assertion)
Tirtha: Pitṛkūpikā (implied)
Type: kund
Scene: An unseen, sanctified landscape around a sacred well/tīrtha, with subtle, luminous presences of ancestral beings—Agniṣvāttas, Barhiṣads, Ājyapas, Somapas—hovering as if receiving offerings.
FAQs
A true pitṛ-tīrtha is defined by divine presence: the ancestral hosts are said to abide there, making offerings especially effective.
The same pitṛ-focused tīrtha (Kṛtaghna-preta-tīrtha / kūpikā site) where pitṛ-gaṇas are declared perpetually present.
While not a step-by-step rule, the verse provides the theological basis for śrāddha there: pitṛ hosts (Agniṣvātta, Barhiṣad, etc.) are continually in attendance.