Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 142
प्रेता ऊचुः । कुविप्रैस्तु कुदैवज्ञैः शुक्रमायाविमोहितैः । पारुष्यताहेतुकैश्च प्रेतयोनिमिमां गताः
pretā ūcuḥ | kuvipraistu kudaivajñaiḥ śukramāyāvimohitaiḥ | pāruṣyatāhetukaiśca pretayonimimāṃ gatāḥ
饿鬼（Preta）们说：“我们被邪恶的婆罗门与败坏的占星者所迷惑——为财富与欺诳的幻魅所蛊惑——又因粗暴与残忍而被驱使，遂堕入此饿鬼之身。”
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.