Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67
तस्माद्दोषादिमे राजन्गुणा यद्यपि कीर्तिताः । प्रेतानां यान्समाश्रित्य काचित्सिद्धिर्न जायते
tasmāddoṣādime rājanguṇā yadyapi kīrtitāḥ | pretānāṃ yānsamāśritya kācitsiddhirna jāyate
پس اے راجن! اس عیب کے سبب اگرچہ یہ ‘اوصاف’ بیان کیے جاتے ہیں، مگر جو پریت ان پر تکیہ کرتے ہیں اُن کے لیے کوئی حقیقی کامیابی پیدا نہیں ہوتی۔
Preta(s) (departed spirits) addressing the king
Type: kshetra
Listener: rājan / king
Scene: The speaker addresses the king: despite being described as possessing certain ‘qualities’, pretas relying on them gain no true accomplishment due to their inherent defect/condition.
FAQs
Even seemingly advantageous conditions become fruitless when rooted in a defective state; dharma-based purification is required for true progress.
Not directly named in this verse; it supports the larger tīrtha-māhātmya rationale for remedial sacred actions.
None explicitly; it reinforces the need for corrective rites for pretas rather than reliance on incidental ‘powers’.