Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 142
प्रेता ऊचुः । कुविप्रैस्तु कुदैवज्ञैः शुक्रमायाविमोहितैः । पारुष्यताहेतुकैश्च प्रेतयोनिमिमां गताः
pretā ūcuḥ | kuvipraistu kudaivajñaiḥ śukramāyāvimohitaiḥ | pāruṣyatāhetukaiśca pretayonimimāṃ gatāḥ
پریتوں نے کہا: ‘بدکار برہمنوں اور فاسد نجومیوں نے ہمیں گمراہ کیا؛ دولت کی چمک اور مایا و فریب نے ہمیں مسحور کر دیا؛ اور سختی و بے رحمی کے سبب ہم پریت یونی کی اس حالت میں جا پڑے ہیں۔’
Pretāḥ (departed spirits)
Tirtha: Dvārakā
Type: kshetra
Listener: Candraśarman (implied by dialogue sequence)
Scene: A group of pretas speak collectively, confessing how they were misled by corrupt ritualists and astrologers; their forms are gaunt, shadowy, and restless, set against a sacred city backdrop that heightens the tragedy.
FAQs
Cruelty, deception, and reliance on corrupt guides lead to spiritual downfall and suffering after death.
The broader passage belongs to Dvārakā Māhātmya and will culminate in the praise of the Gomatī tīrtha.
No direct prescription here; it explains the moral causes behind the preta-condition.