Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16
तस्यापि प्रेतकार्याणि मृतस्यापि करोषि किम् । एतन्नः सर्वमाचक्ष्व न चेद्गुह्यं व्यवस्थितम्
tasyāpi pretakāryāṇi mṛtasyāpi karoṣi kim | etannaḥ sarvamācakṣva na cedguhyaṃ vyavasthitam
“และเหตุใดท่านจึงยังประกอบพิธีกรรมสำหรับผู้ล่วงลับให้เขา แม้เขาจะตายแล้ว? หากมิใช่ความลับ ก็จงบอกเราทั้งหมดเถิด”
Family members/relatives addressing the brāhmaṇa
Type: kshetra
Scene: Relatives press for explanation, pointing to ritual items; the protagonist stands between them and the memory of the deceased cowherd; the atmosphere is charged with the question of propriety vs compassion.
FAQs
Ritual duty is not mere custom; it rests on deeper moral and karmic reasons that tradition invites seekers to understand.
Not identified in this verse; the broader Tīrthamāhātmya setting implies sacred context for such rites.
The performance of ‘pretakārya’ (post-death rites) is explicitly referenced.