Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 61
तर्पयंति न ये पापाः स्वपितॄन्नित्यशो नृप । पशवस्ते सदा ज्ञेया द्विपदाः शृंगवर्जिताः
tarpayaṃti na ye pāpāḥ svapitṝnnityaśo nṛpa | paśavaste sadā jñeyā dvipadāḥ śṛṃgavarjitāḥ
హే నృపా! నిత్యం తమ పితృదేవతలను తర్పించని పాపులు ఎల్లప్పుడూ పశువులవలెనే భావింపబడాలి—రెండు కాళ్లవారు గాని, కొమ్ముల్లేనివారు।
Unknown (Nāgarakhaṇḍa narrator addressing a king; speaker not explicit in snippet)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nṛpa (king) addressed by the speaker in the śrāddha discourse
Scene: A king receives a stern dharma-upadeśa: a sage points toward a śrāddha altar by a riverbank; shadowy pitṛs appear satisfied when tarpaṇa is offered, while negligent men are shown as ‘two-footed beasts’ in symbolic form.
FAQs
Human dignity is tied to dharmic responsibility; neglecting ancestors is portrayed as a fall from true humanity.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a strong moral statement within the Tīrthamāhātmya context.
Regular (nityaśaḥ) Pitṛ-tarpaṇa—satisfying one’s ancestors through offerings.