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# Skandapurana 16.223

Skandapurāṇa 16.223

- **Language:** Sanskrit

### [16.223.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.1)

.. īśvara uvāca .. ..  
tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgaṃ trailokyapūjitam ..  
gātrotsargamiti khyātaṃ tasya dakṣiṇataḥ sthitam.. 1 ..

> Īśvara said:  
> "Then one should go, O great goddess, to the liṅga worshipped in the three worlds,  
> known as Gātrotsarga, situated to the south of it,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.2)

yatra gātraṃ parityaktaṃ balabhadreṇa dhīmatā ..  
anyaiścaiva mahābhāgairyādavaistatra saṃyuge .. 2 ..

> where the body was cast off by the wise Balabhadra,  
> and by other illustrious Yādavas there in the battle,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.3)

yatra te yādavāḥ kṣīṇā brahmaśāpabalāhinā ..  
etatpuruṣottamaṃ kṣetraṃ samantāddhanuṣāṃ śatam.. 3 ..

> where those Yādavas were destroyed by the serpent of the power of a brahmin's curse.  
> This holy sacred field of Puruṣottama measures a hundred bows all around,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.4)

yatra sākṣātsvayaṃ devi tiṣṭhate puruṣottamaḥ ..  
tadeva vaiṣṇavaṃ kṣetraṃ kalau pātakanāśanam.. 4 ..

> where Puruṣottama himself resides directly in visible form, O goddess.  
> That very sacred field of Viṣṇu destroys sins in the Kali age.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.5)

rahasyaṃ paramaṃ devi tīrthānāṃ pravaraṃ hi tat..  
pūrvaṃ kṛtayuge devi pretatīrthaṃ ca saṃsmṛtam ..  
kalau yuge tu saṃprāpte gātrotsargamiti tvabhūt .. 5 ..

> It is a supreme mystery, O goddess, the most excellent of sacred fords.  
> Formerly in the Kṛta age, O goddess, it was remembered as Pretatīrtha;  
> but when the Kali age arrived, it became Gātrotsarga.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.6)

ṛṇamocanapārśve tu madhye tu pāpamocanāt..  
etanmadhyaṃ samāśritya mṛtaḥ pāpairvimucyate .. 6 ..

> Near Ṛṇamocana, between \[it and\] Pāpamocana,  
> one who dies having sought refuge in this middle \[place\] is freed from sins.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.7)

tasya kiṃ varṇyate devi yatrānantaphalaṃ mahat ..  
athamedhasahasrasya phalaṃ snātvā hyavāpyate .. 7 ..

> How can its \[virtue\] be described, O goddess, where the fruit is infinite and great?  
> Indeed, by bathing \[there\], the fruit of a thousand horse-sacrifices is obtained.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.8)

yatrāśvatthaṃ samāsādya samādhinyastamānasaḥ ..  
mumoca dustyajānprāṇānbrahmadvāreṇa keśavaḥ .. 8 ..

> Where, having reached an aśvattha tree, his mind fixed in absorption,  
> Keśava abandoned his life-breaths, so hard to abandon, through the aperture of Brahmā.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.9)

tatra nārāyaṇaṃ sākṣādbalabhadraṃ ca rukmiṇīm ..  
pūjayitvā vidhānena mucyate pātakatrayāt .. 9 ..

> Having properly worshipped Nārāyaṇa directly, Balabhadra, and Rukmiṇī there,  
> one is freed from the three types of sins.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.10)

tatra snātvā naro bhaktyā yaḥ saṃtarpayate pitṝn ..  
pretatvātpitaro muktā bhavanti śrāddhadāyinaḥ .. 7.1.223.10 ...

> Having bathed there, the man who propitiates the ancestors with devotion—  
> the ancestors of that giver of śrāddha become freed from the state of ghosts.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.11)

goghnaḥ surāpo durmedhā brahmahā gurutalpagaḥ ..  
tatra snātvā naraḥ sadyo vipāpaḥ saṃprapadyate .. 11 ..

> A cow-killer, a liquor-drinker, an evil-minded person, a slayer of a brahmin, or a violator of the guru's bed,  
> having bathed there, immediately becomes free from sin.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.12)

bālye vayasi yatpāpaṃ vārddhake yauvane'pi vā ..  
ajñānājjñānato vāpi yaḥ karoti naraḥ priye ..  
tatra snātvā pramucyeta tīrthe gātrapramocane .. 12 ..

> Whatever sin a man commits in childhood, in old age, or in youth,  
> whether through ignorance or with knowledge, O beloved,  
> having bathed there in the sacred ford of Gātrapramocana, he is completely freed from it.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.13)

tatra piṇḍapradānena pitṝṇāṃ jāyate parā ..  
tṛptirvarṣaśataṃ yāvadetadāha purā hariḥ .. 13 ..

> By offering rice-balls there, supreme satisfaction arises for the ancestors  
> for up to a hundred years: this Hari declared of old.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.14)

yaḥ punaścānnadānaṃ tu tatra kuryātsamāhitaḥ ..  
tasyānvaye'pi deveśi na preto jāyate naraḥ ..14.. ..

> Furthermore, whoever attentively gives food there,  
> in his lineage too, O queen of the gods, no man is born as a ghost."  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.19)

..śrīdevyuvāca .. ..  
pretatīrthamiti proktaṃ paścādgātravimocanam ..  
vada me devadeveśa pretatīrthasya kāraṇam.. 19 ..

> The goddess said:  
> "It was called Pretatīrtha, and later Gātravimocana.  
> Tell me, O Lord of the gods of gods, the cause of \[the name\] Pretatīrtha."  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.19\_1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.19_1)

.. īśvara uvāca.. ..  
śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi pretatīrthasya kāraṇam..  
yacchrutvā mānavo bhaktyā muktaḥ syātsarvakilbiṣaiḥ .. 16 ..

> Īśvara said:  
> "Listen, O goddess, I shall tell the cause of Pretatīrtha,  
> hearing which with devotion a mortal becomes freed from all sins.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.19\_2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.19_2)

purā''sīdgautamonāma maharṣiḥ śaṃsitavrataḥ ..  
bhṛgukalpātsamāyātaḥ kṣetre prābhāsike śubhe .. 17 ..

> Formerly there was a great seer named Gautama, of praised vows;  
> he came from Bhṛgukalpa to the auspicious Prabhāsakṣetra,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.19\_3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.19_3)

ayane cottare puṇye śrīsomeśadidṛkṣayā ..  
dṛṣṭvā someśvaraṃ devaṃ snātvā tīrtheṣu kṛtsnaśaḥ .. 18 ..

> during the holy northern course of the sun, desiring to see the glorious Someśa.  
> Having seen god Someśvara and bathed in all the sacred fords,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.19\_4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.19_4)

sa gacchaṃstīrthayātrāyāṃ gātrotsargaṃ tato gataḥ .. 19 ..

> going on the pilgrimage to the sacred fords, he then went to Gātrotsarga.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.20)

athāsau brāhmaṇo devi yāvatsīmāmupāgataḥ ..  
tāvadviṣṇupriyaṃ tatra dadṛśe vaiṣṇavaṃ vanam .. 7.1.223.20 ..

> Then, O goddess, as soon as that brahmin reached the boundary,  
> just then he beheld a Vaiṣṇava grove dear to Viṣṇu,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.21)

puruṣottamanāmāḍhyaṃ kṣetraṃ ca dhanuṣāṃ śatam ..  
tasminkṣetre sa cāpaśyatpaṃca pretānsudāruṇān .. 21 ..

> and the sacred field filled with the name Puruṣottama, measuring a hundred bows.  
> In that sacred field he saw five very terrifying ghosts,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.22)

mahāvṛkṣasamārūḍhānmahākāyānmahotkaṭān..  
ūrdhvakeśāñchaṃkukarṇānsnāyunaddhakalevarān .. 22 ..

> mounted upon a huge tree, possessing huge bodies and immense power,  
> with hair standing upwards, spike-like ears, and bodies bound by sinews,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.23)

vimāṃsarudhirānnagnānatha kṛṣṇakalevarān ..  
dṛṣṭvā'sau bhayasaṃtrasto vinaṣṭo'smītyacintayat .. 23 ..

> destitute of flesh and blood, naked, and with black bodies.  
> Seeing them, terrified with fear, he thought: 'I am ruined!'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.24)

dhyātvā''ha suciraṃ kālaṃ dhairyamāsthāya yatnataḥ ..  
ke yūyaṃ vikṛtākārā dṛṣṭāḥ pūrvaṃ mayā purā .. 24 ..

> Having reflected for a long time and maintained firmness with effort, he said:  
> 'Who are you of deformed forms? Formerly, in the past,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.25)

na kadācidyathā yūyaṃ kimarthaṃ kṣetramadhyataḥ ..  
dhāvamānāḥ suduḥkhārtā etanme kautukaṃ mahat .. 25 ..

> I have never seen \[beings\] such as you! Why are you running about  
> within the sacred field, afflicted with great sorrow? This is a great wonder to me.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.26)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
vayaṃ pretā mahābhāga dūrādiha samāgatāḥ ..  
śrutvā tīrthavaraṃ puṇyaṃ praveśaṃ na labhāmahe ..26..

> The ghosts said:  
> 'We are ghosts, O illustrious one, who have come here from afar;  
> having heard of the holy, best of sacred fords, we cannot obtain entry.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.27)

gaṇairaṃtardhānagataiḥ prahārairjarjarīkṛtāḥ ..  
lekhako rohakaścaiva sūcakaḥ śīghragastathā .. 27 ..

> shattered by blows from the attendants who have become invisible: / \[one is\] Lekhaka, Rohaka, and also Sūcaka, and Śīghraga;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.28)

ahaṃ paryuṣitonāma pañcamaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ .. 28 ..

> I am named Paryuṣita, the fifth, the worst committer of sin.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.29)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
pretayonau pravṛttānāṃ kena nāmāni kṛtsnaśaḥ ..  
yuṣmākaṃ nirmitānyevametanme kautukaṃ mahat .. 29 ..

> Gautama said: / “By whom were these names created completely for you, / who have entered the ghostly state? This causes me great curiosity.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.30)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
yācamānasya viprasya likhatyeṣa dharātale ..  
nottaraṃ paṭhate kiñcittenāsau lekhakaḥ smṛtaḥ .. 7.1.223.30 ..

> The pretas said: / “When a brahmin was begging, this one would write on the surface of the ground / and recite no answer at all; therefore he is remembered as Lekhaka (the Scribe).  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.31)

dvitīyo brāhmaṇabhayātprāsādamadhirohati ..  
tato'sau rohakākhyo'bhūcchṛṇu vipra tṛtīyakam .. 31 ..

> The second climbed up onto a palace out of fear of a brahmin; / hence he was called Rohaka (the Climber). Hear about the third, O brahmin:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.32)

sūcitā bahavo'nena brāhmaṇā vittasaṃyutāḥ .  
rājñe pāpena tenāsau sūcako bhuvi viśrutaḥ .. 32..

> many brahmins possessed of wealth were reported by him / to the king; because of that sin, he is renowned on earth as Sūcaka (the Informer).  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.33)

brāhmaṇaiḥ prārthyamānastu śīghraṃ dhāvati nityaśaḥ ..  
na kadāciddadāti sma tenāsau śīghragaḥ smṛtaḥ .. 33 ..

> When asked by brahmins, he constantly ran away swiftly; / he never gave anything, and therefore he is remembered as Śīghraga (the Swift-runner).  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.34)

mayā kadannaṃ dattaṃ ca paryuṣitaṃ brāhmaṇottame ..  
brāhmaṇebhyaḥ sadā dānaṃ miṣṭānnena tu poṣaṇam ..  
tasmātparyuṣitonāma saṃjāto'haṃ dharātale .. 34 ..

> Bad, stale food was given by me to an excellent brahmin; / while giving to brahmins should always be feeding with sweet food. / Therefore I was born on the surface of the earth named Paryuṣita (the Stale-feeder).”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.35)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
na vinā bhojanenaiva vartante prāṇino bhuvi ..  
kimāhārā bhavanto vai vadadhvaṃ mama kautukāt .. 35 ..

> Gautama said: / “Living beings do not exist on earth without food. / What is your sustenance? Tell me out of my curiosity.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.36)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
prāpte bhojanakāle tu yatra yuddhaṃ pravartate ..  
tasyānnasya rasaṃ sarvaṃ bhuṃjāmo dvijasattama .. 36 ..

> The pretas said: / “Where a quarrel begins at the time mealtime arrives, / all the essence of that food we consume, O best of brahmins.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.37)

nānulipte dharāpṛṣṭhe yatra bhuṃjanti mānavāḥ ..  
bhraṣṭaśaucā dvijaśreṣṭha tadasmākaṃ tu bhojanam .. 37 ..

> Where men eat upon a ground that is not smeared \[with cow dung\], / having fallen from purity, O best of brahmins, that is our food.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.38)

aprakṣālitapādastu yo bhuṃkte dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ ..  
yo veṣṭitaśirā bhuṃkte pretā bhuṃjanti nityaśaḥ .. 38 ..

> He who eats with unwashed feet facing south, / he who eats with his head covered—pretas continually consume \[his food\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.39)

śrāddhaṃ saṃpaśyate śvā cennārī caiva rajasvalā ..  
antyajaḥ śūkaraścānnaṃ tadasmākaṃ tu bhojanam .. 39 ..

> If a dog, a menstruating woman, / an outcaste, or a pig looks upon a funeral offering, that food is ours to eat.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.40)

tyaktvā kramāgataṃ vipraṃ pūjitaṃ prapitāmahaiḥ ..  
yo dānaṃ dadate'nyasmai tasmai cā'tuṣṭacetasā .. 7.1.223.40 ..

> Abandoning a hereditary brahmin who was honored by great-grandfathers, / whoever gives a gift to another, and to him with a dissatisfied mind—  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.41)

tasya dānasya yatpuṇyaṃ tadasmākaṃ prajāyate ..  
yasmingṛhe sadocchiṣṭaṃ sadā ca kalaho bhavet ..  
vaiśvadevavihīne tu tatra bhuṃjāmahe vayam .. 41 ..

> whatever religious merit belongs to that gift becomes ours. / In whichever house there are always food scraps and constant strife, / and which is devoid of the Vaiśvadeva rite, there we eat.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.42)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
yuṣmākaṃ kīdṛśe gehe praveśo na ca vidyate ..  
satyaṃ vadata mā'satyaṃ satyaṃ sādhuṣu saṃgatam .. 42 ..

> Gautama said: / “Into what kind of house do you have no entrance? / Tell me the truth, not falsehood; truth is fitting among good people.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.43)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
vaiśvadevodbhavā yatra dhūmavartiḥ pradṛśyate ..  
tasmingehe na cāsmākaṃ praveśo vidyate dvija .. 43 ..

> The pretas said: / “Where a column of smoke arising from the Vaiśvadeva rite is seen, / into that house we have no entrance, O brahmin.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.44)

yasmingṛhe prabhāte tu kriyate copalepanam ..  
vidyate veda nirghoṣastatrāsmākaṃ na kiṃcana .. 44 ..

> In the house where smearing \[with cow dung\] is done at dawn, / and the sound of the Veda is present, there is nothing for us.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.45)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
kena karmavipākena pretatvaṃ vrajate naraḥ ..  
etanme vistareṇaiva yathāvadvaktu marhatha .. 45 ..

> Gautama said: / “By what fruition of actions does a man go to the state of a preta? / You should explain this to me in full detail and properly.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.46)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
mṛṣā'pahāriṇo ye ca ye cocchiṣṭā vrajanti ca ..  
gobrāhmaṇahatāścaiva pretatvaṃ te vrajanti hi .. 46 ..

> The pretas said: / “Those who steal falsely, those who go about defiled by food scraps, / and those killed by cows or brahmins—they indeed go to the state of a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.47)

paiśunyaniratā ye ca kūṭasākṣyaratā narāḥ ..  
nyāyapakṣe na vartaṃte mṛtāḥ pretā bhavaṃti te .. 47 ..

> Men devoted to slander, engaged in false testimony, / who do not take the side of justice—having died, they become pretas.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.48)

śleṣmamūtrapurīṣāṇi ye kṣipanti sarovare ..  
pretatvaṃ te samāsādya vicaraṃti ca mānavāḥ ..48..

> Those who throw phlegm, urine, and feces into a lake— / reaching the state of pretas, those men roam about.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.49)

dīyamānaṃ tu viprāṇāṃ goṣu viprātureṣu ca ..  
mā dehīti prajalpantaste ca pretā bhavaṃti ca ..49..

> Those who, when something is being given to brahmins, to cows, and to afflicted brahmins, / chatter ‘Do not give!’—they also become pretas.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.50](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.50)

śūdrānnenodarasthena yadi vipro mriyeta vai ..  
pretatvaṃ yātyasau nūnaṃ yadyapi syātṣaḍaṃgavit .. 7.1.223.50 ..

> If a brahmin should die with a śūdra’s food in his belly, / he surely goes to the state of a preta, even if he knows the six limbs of the Veda.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.51](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.51)

yastrīnhale balīvardānvāhayenmadasaṃyutaḥ ..  
amāvāsyāṃ viśeṣeṇa sa preto jāyate naraḥ .. 51 ..

> A man who in his arrogance yokes three bullocks to a plow, / especially on the new-moon day, is born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.52)

nāstiko niṃdakaḥ kṣudro nityanaimittyavarjitaḥ ..  
brāhmaṇāndveṣṭi yo nūnaṃ sa preto jāyate naraḥ .. 52 ..

> An atheist, a reviler, a base person, one who has abandoned daily and occasional rites, / and who surely hates brahmins—that man is born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.53](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.53)

viśvāsaghātako yastu brahmahā strīvadhe rataḥ ..  
goghno gurughraḥ pitṛhā sa preto jāyate naraḥ..53..

> A betrayer of trust, a killer of a brahmin, one bent on slaying women, / a killer of cows, a killer of his guru, a killer of his father—that man is born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.54](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.54)

yasya naiva pradattāni ekoddiṣṭāni ṣoḍaśa ..  
mṛtasya na vṛṣotsargaḥ sa preto jāyate naraḥ .. 54 ..

> A man for whom the sixteen single-purpose funeral rites are not performed after death, / and for whom no bull is set free, is born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.55)

etaddhi sarvamākhyātaṃ yatpṛṣṭāḥ sma dvijottama ..  
bhūyo brūhi dvijaśreṣṭha yaścāsti tava saṃśayaḥ .. 55 ..

> All this indeed has been told, about which we were asked, O best of brahmins. / Tell us again, O best of brahmins, whatever doubt you still have.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.56)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
yena karmavipākenana preto jāyate naraḥ ..  
tanme vadata niḥśeṣaṃ kautukaṃ me'tra vidyate .. 56 ..

> Gautama said: / “By what fruition of actions is a man not born as a preta? / Tell me that completely; I have curiosity about this.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.57](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.57)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
tīrthayātrā rato yastu devārcanaparāyaṇaḥ ..  
brāhmaṇeṣu sadā bhakto na preto jāyate naraḥ .. 57 ..

> The pretas said: / “One who is devoted to pilgrimage to sacred fords, intent on worshiping deities, / and always devoted to brahmins, that man is not born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.58](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.58)

nityaṃ śṛṇoti śāstrāṇi nityaṃ sevati paṃḍitān..  
vṛddhāṃstu pṛcchate nityaṃ na sa preto vijāyate .. 58 ..

> One who constantly hears the scriptures, constantly serves learned men, / and always inquires of elders, he is not born as a preta.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.59](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.59)

etasmātkāraṇātprāptā vayaṃ sarve sudūrataḥ ..  
śaknumo praveṣṭuṃ ca puṇye'sminkṣetra uttame .. 59 ..

> For this reason we have all come from a great distance; / \[yet\] we are unable to enter into this holy, supreme sacred field.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.60](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.60)

nirviṇṇāḥ pretarūpeṇa tasmāttvaṃ dvijasattama ..  
gatirbhava mahābhāga sarveṣāṃ naḥ prayatnataḥ .. 7.1.223.60 ..

> We are despondent in the form of pretas; therefore, O best of brahmins, / O highly fortunate one, diligently become the refuge for all of us.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.61)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
kathaṃ vo jāyate mokṣo vadadhvaṃ kṛtsnaśo mama ..  
kṛpayāviṣṭacitto'haṃ yatiṣye nātra saṃśayaḥ ..61..

> Gautama said: / “How does your liberation take place? Tell me completely. / My mind is filled with compassion; I will make an effort, of this there is no doubt.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.62](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.62)

.. pretā ūcuḥ .. ..  
prabhūtakālamasmākaṃ pretatve tiṣṭhatāṃ vibho ..  
na tvabhyeti pumānkaścidasmākaṃ yo gatirbhavet .. 62 ..

> The pretas said: / “A long time has passed as we abide in the state of pretas, O lord, / yet no man has arrived who might become our refuge.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.63](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.63)

tasmāttvaṃ dehi naḥ śrāddhaṃ gatvā kṣetraṃ tu vaiṣṇavam..  
nāmagotrāṇi cādāya mokṣaṃ yāsyāmahe tataḥ .. 63 .. ..

> Therefore, go to the sacred field of Viṣṇu and offer a funeral rite for us, / uttering our names and lineages; from that we shall attain liberation.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.64](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.64)

.. īśvara uvāca .. ..  
tato'sau brāhmaṇo gatvā dayāviṣṭo harergṛham ..  
śrāddhaṃ ca pradadau teṣāmekaikasya pṛthakpṛthak .. 64 ..

> Īśvara said: / “Then that brahmin, filled with compassion, went to the temple of Hari / and offered a funeral rite for them, each one individually.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.65](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.65)

yasyayasya yadā śrāddhaṃ karoti dvijasattamaḥ ..  
sa rātrau svapna etyainaṃ darśane vākyamabravīt .. 65 ..

> For whichever of them and whenever the best of brahmins performed a funeral rite, / he came to him in a dream at night and, having appeared, spoke these words:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.66](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.66)

prasādāttava viprendra mukto'haṃ pretayonitaḥ ..  
svasti te'stu gamiṣyāmi vimānaṃ me hyupasthitam .. 66 ..

> ‘By your favor, O lord among brahmins, I am freed from the ghostly state. / May there be welfare for you; I shall depart, for my aerial chariot has arrived.’  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.67](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.67)

evaṃ saṃtāritāstena catvāraste dvijottamāḥ .. 67 ..

> Thus those four best of brahmins were delivered by him.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.68](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.68)

athāsau brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhaḥ saṃprāpte pañcame dine ..  
pradadau vidhipūrvaṃ tu śrāddhaṃ paryuṣitasya ca .. 68 ..

> Then, when the fifth day arrived, that best of brahmins / performed the śrāddha for Paryuṣita according to the rules.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.69)

athāpaśyata svapnānte prāptaṃ paryuṣitaṃ naram ..  
dīnavākyaṃ parikliṣṭaṃ niḥśvasantaṃ muhurmuhuḥ .. 69.. ..

> Then, at the end of a dream, he saw the man Paryuṣita arrive, / speaking piteous words, afflicted with distress, and sighing repeatedly.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.70](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.70)

.. paryuṣita uvāca .. ..  
na me jātā gatirvipra maṃdabhāgyasya pāpinaḥ ..  
mayā hṛtaṃ taḍāgārthaṃ yadvittaṃ praguṇīkṛtam .. 7.1.223.70 ..

> Paryuṣita said: / "No liberation has come to me, O brahmin, ill-fated and sinful as I am. / I took for myself the wealth collected for the sake of a water-reservoir.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.71)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
kathaṃ te jāyate mokṣo vada śīghramaśeṣataḥ ..  
kariṣye nātra saṃdeho yadyapi syātsudurlabham .. 71 ..

> Gautama said: / 'Tell me fully and at once: how can your liberation come about? / I will do it, without any doubt, even if it should be exceedingly difficult to attain.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.72](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.72)

.. paryuṣita uvāca .. ...  
ayane cottare prāpte gatvā tīrthaṃ haripriyam ..  
śrāddhaṃ tvaṃ dehi me nūnaṃ tato gatirbhaviṣyati .. 72 ..

> Paryuṣita said: / 'When the northern transit of the sun arrives, go to the sacred ford beloved of Hari / and surely offer a śrāddha for me; then liberation will take place for me.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.73](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.73)

.. īśvara uvāca .. ..  
evamuktaḥ sa viprendrastena pretena vai muniḥ ..  
ayane cottare prāpte gatvā tīrthaṃ haripriyam ..  
pradadau vidhivacchrāddhaṃ tataḥ paryuṣitāya ca .. 73 ..

> Īśvara said: / Addressed in this way by that ghost, the sage, that best of brahmins, / when the northern transit arrived, went to the sacred ford beloved of Hari / and then duly offered the śrāddha for Paryuṣita.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.74)

tataḥ paryuṣito rātrau svapnānte vākyamabravīt ..  
prasannavadano bhūtvā divyamālyavapurdharaḥ .. 74 ..

> Then at night, at the end of a dream, Paryuṣita spoke these words, / having a cheerful countenance and bearing a celestial garland and body:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.75](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.75)

.. paryuṣita uvāca .. ..  
mukto'haṃ tvatprasādena pretabhāvāddvijottama ..  
svasti te'stu gamiṣyāmi vimānaṃ me hyupasthitam .. 75 ..

> Paryuṣita said: / 'O best of brahmins, by your grace I am released from the state of a ghost. / May you fare well; I shall depart, for an aerial chariot has indeed arrived for me.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.76](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.76)

devatvaṃ ca mayā prāptaṃ samartho'haṃ dvijottama ..  
varaṃ dadāmi te vipra gṛhāṇa tvaṃ varaṃ śubham .. 76 ..

> And I have attained divinity; I am capable \[of granting boons\], O best of brahmins. / I will give you a boon, O brahmin; accept an auspicious boon!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.77](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.77)

brahmaghne ca surāpe ca caure bhagnavrate tathā ..  
niṣkṛtirvihitā sadbhiḥ kṛtaghne nāsti niṣkṛtiḥ .. 77 ..

> An expiation has been prescribed by the virtuous for the slayer of a brahmin, the drinker of liquor, / the thief, and likewise the breaker of vows; but there is no expiation for an ungrateful person.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.78)

.. gautama uvāca .. ..  
yadi deyo varo'smākaṃ samartho'si varaprada ..  
yatra sthāne mayā dṛṣṭāḥ pretā yūyaṃ suduḥkhitāḥ ..  
tatrāhaṃ cāśramaṃ kṛtvā kariṣye cottamaṃ tapaḥ .. 78 ..

> Gautama said: / 'If a boon is to be given to me, since you are able to grant a boon, O giver of boons: / at the place where you ghosts were seen by me in great distress, / having built a hermitage there, I shall perform supreme austerity.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.79](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.79)

nirgatāsmi gṛhaṃ bhūyo snātvā tīrthamidaṃ mahat ..  
tatra yo bhānavo bhaktyā pitṝnuddiśya bhaktitaḥ .. 79 ..

> \[Though\] I have left home again, having bathed in this great sacred ford, / whichever human beings there, out of devotion, aiming at their ancestors with devotion,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.80](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.80)

vidhivaddāsyati śrāddhaṃ snātvā saṃtarpya devatāḥ ..  
yuṣmatprasādatastasya hyanvaye'pi kadācana ..  
mā bhūyātpretabhāvo hi api pāpānvitasya bhoḥ .. 7.1.223.80 ..

> shall offer a śrāddha according to the rules, after bathing and propitiating the gods— / by your grace, even in his lineage, / let there never be the state of a ghost, O sir, even for one possessed of sin!'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.81](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.81)

.. paryuṣita uvāca .. ..  
gaccha tvaṃ cāśramaṃ tatra kuru brāhmaṇasattama ..  
gamiṣyasi parāṃ siddhiṃ loke khyātiṃ gamiṣyasi .. 81 ..

> Paryuṣita said: / 'Go, O best of brahmins, and make a hermitage there! / You will attain supreme perfection; you will attain renown in the world.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.82](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.82)

tatra ye mānavā bhaktyā śrāddhaṃ dāsyaṃti sattamāḥ ..  
pitṝṇāṃ te vimānasthā yāsyaṃti tridivālayam .. 82 ..

> Those excellent human beings who faithfully offer a śrāddha there / to their ancestors shall go, mounted on aerial chariots, to the heavenly abode.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.83](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.83)

na teṣāṃ vaṃśajaḥ kaścitpretatvaṃ ca gamiṣyati ..  
prāhuḥ saptapadīṃ maitrīṃ paṃḍitāḥ sthirabuddhayaḥ .. 83 ..

> None born in their lineage shall ever go to the state of a ghost. / Wise men of steady intellect proclaim that friendship is formed within seven steps.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.84](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.84)

mitratāṃ tu puraskṛtya kiṃ tadvakṣyāmi tacchṛṇu ..  
tavāśramapadaṃ puṇyaṃ bhaviṣyati mahītale .. 84 ..

> Placing friendship foremost, hear what I shall say to you: / your hermitage-ground will become sacred upon the surface of the earth,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.85](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.85)

sarvapāpapraśamanaṃ sarvaduḥkhavi nāśanam ..  
mannāmnā khyātimāyātu pretatīrthamiti prabho .. 85 ..

> pacifying all sins and destroying all sorrows. / O lord, let it become renowned by my name as "Pretatīrtha"!'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.86](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.86)

.. īśvara uvāca .. ..  
taṃ tatheti pratijñāya gatastatra dvijottamaḥ ..  
yathā vedoktamārgeṃṇa sarvaṃ kṛtyaṃ cakāra saḥ .. 86 ..

> Īśvara said: / Consenting to that, saying, 'So be it,' that best of brahmins went there; / he performed every rite according to the path declared in the Veda.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.87](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.87)

so'pi svargamanuprāpto hṛṣṭaḥ paryuṣitaḥ priye ..  
etatsarvaṃ purāvṛttaṃ sthāne'smingātramocane .. 87 ..

> He too, Paryuṣita, reached heaven rejoiced, O dear one. / All this took place formerly at this place \[named\] Gātramocana.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.88](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.88)

yaḥ śṛṇoti naraḥ samyaksarvapāpaiḥ sa mucyate ..  
śayanotthāpane yoge yaḥ paśyetpuruṣottamam ..  
gātrotsarge tu gatvā'sau yajñāyutaphalaṃ labhet .. 88 ..

> A person who hears this properly is freed from all sins. / One who sees Puruṣottama at the conjunction of his going to sleep and waking up, / having gone to Gātrotsarga, would obtain the fruit of ten thousand sacrifices.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [16.223.223](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223.223)

iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ saptame prabhāsakhaṇḍe prathame prabhāsakṣetramāhātmye puruṣottamatīrthapretatīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃnāma trayoviṃśatyuttaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ .. 223 ..

> Thus ends the two hundred and twenty-third chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of Puruṣottamatīrtha and Pretatīrtha', in the first \[part\], 'Glory of Prabhāsakṣetra', in the seventh \[book\], Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, of the venerable Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand \[verses\]. // 223  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

## Translations (1)

- [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda~en-mt.16.223.1) — English, machine translation

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.16.223) · Pramāṇa