Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29
यतोऽस्माभिः श्रुता वार्ता कीर्त्यमाना पुरातनी । विष्णुना तस्य राजर्षेः प्रेतश्राद्धसमुद्भवा
yato'smābhiḥ śrutā vārtā kīrtyamānā purātanī | viṣṇunā tasya rājarṣeḥ pretaśrāddhasamudbhavā
Vì chúng ta đã nghe một chuyện xưa vẫn còn được truyền tụng—rằng theo sắc lệnh của Viṣṇu đã phát sinh việc làm lễ śrāddha của vị thánh vương cho kẻ đã thành preta.
Local devotees/hosts (introducing a precedent/story)
Tirtha: Nāga-tīrtha (contextual; exact name not stated in verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijāḥ / dvijasattamāḥ (addressed audience of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: Sages recount an ancient, oft-repeated tale: a royal sage’s predicament involving preta-śrāddha arising under Viṣṇu’s ordinance; a narrative ‘opening’ tableau with listeners gathered in a sacred setting.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma validates ritual practice through sacred precedent—ancient stories teach how divine order supports śrāddha and ancestral welfare.
A Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha where śrāddha is discussed as particularly consequential for relieving preta-condition.
Preta-śrāddha (śrāddha for one in preta-state), framed through an authoritative ancient narrative.