Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
इन्द्र उवाच । कथं तेषां भवेन्मुक्तिः प्रेतत्वाद्दारुणाद्विभो । एतन्मे सर्वमाचक्ष्व येन यत्नं करोम्यहम्
indra uvāca | kathaṃ teṣāṃ bhavenmuktiḥ pretatvāddāruṇādvibho | etanme sarvamācakṣva yena yatnaṃ karomyaham
พระอินทร์ทูลว่า “ข้าแต่พระผู้แผ่ซ่านทั่วสรรพสิ่ง เขาทั้งหลายจะพ้นจากภาวะเป็นเปรตอันน่าหวาดหวั่นนั้นได้อย่างไร โปรดตรัสบอกข้าพเจ้าทั้งหมด เพื่อข้าพเจ้าจะได้เพียรพยายามตามนั้น”
Indra
Listener: General audience; internal listener is Bhagavān addressed by Indra
Scene: Indra, humbled, palms joined, asks the Lord for the method to free pretas; the Lord’s calm presence signals a compassionate, procedural answer.
FAQs
Compassionate responsibility: one should seek the proper dharmic means (especially śrāddha and tīrtha) to relieve beings from post-death suffering and guide them toward liberation.
The coming verses point to Gayā as the key tīrtha connected with śrāddha that leads to release and peace for the departed.
This verse itself is a question; it introduces the prescription that will be explained—how to perform śrāddha so liberation from pretatva becomes possible.