Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20
तस्य तन्निष्फलं भावि भुक्तं प्रेतैश्च राक्षसैः । इत्युक्त्वा भगवान्रुद्रस्तत्रैवां तरधीयत
tasya tanniṣphalaṃ bhāvi bhuktaṃ pretaiśca rākṣasaiḥ | ityuktvā bhagavānrudrastatraivāṃ taradhīyata
“Với kẻ ấy, việc ấy sẽ trở nên vô ích, và lễ vật sẽ bị các preta và rākṣasa ăn mất.” Nói vậy, Đức Rudra chí tôn liền biến mất ngay tại chỗ.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating; Rudra is quoted within the narration
Tirtha: Kṣetrapāla protocol (general)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Rudra warns that acts done without worship become fruitless and offerings are consumed by pretas and rākṣasas; after speaking, he vanishes on the spot, leaving a charged silence.
FAQs
If sacred rites are performed wrongly or without due propriety, their merit can be lost and the offering becomes vulnerable to impure forces.
This verse functions as a general Mahātmya-style admonition within the Kṣetrapāla section; a specific named tīrtha is not explicit in the snippet.
An implied prescription: ensure correct, protected worship so offerings are not rendered “niṣphala” (fruitless) or seized by pretas/rākṣasas.