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
اے بادشاہ! جو گناہگار لوگ اپنے پِتروں کو روزانہ ترپن دے کر راضی نہیں کرتے، وہ ہمیشہ جانور سمجھے جائیں—دو پاؤں والے، بے سینگ مخلوق۔
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.