Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

पुष्ट्यर्थमेतद्विज्ञेयं क्षयाहं द्वादशं स्मृतम् । मृतेऽहनि पितुर्यस्तु न कुर्याच्छ्राद्धमादरात्

Transliteration

puṣṭyarthametadvijñeyaṃ kṣayāhaṃ dvādaśaṃ smṛtam | mṛte'hani pituryastu na kuryācchrāddhamādarāt

Translation

ينبغي أن يُعلَم أن هذه الشّرادها بالسمن إنما هي للتغذية والبركة، وقد ذُكرت على أنها الطقس «الثاني عشر» المسمّى كṣayāha. أمّا من لا يُقيم الشّرادها بإجلالٍ في يوم وفاة أبيه—

Word by Word

• पुष्ट्यर्थम्: for nourishment/prosperity
• पुष्ट्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययभावे प्रयुक्तम्; प्रयोजनार्थे ‘...अर्थम्’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुष्टेः अर्थम्)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश (this)

• विज्ञेयम्: should be understood/known
• विज्ञेयम्: Vidhana (Injunction/विधान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्य/यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ज्ञातव्यम्’ (to be known)

• क्षयाहम्: the ‘kṣayāha’ day (day of waning/decay)
• क्षयाहम्: Pratipadyamāna (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षयस्य अहः)

• द्वादशम्: the twelfth
• द्वादशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण (ordinal/number)

• स्मृतम्: is stated/remembered (in tradition)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/remembered in tradition’

• मृते: when (someone) has died
• मृते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘when (someone) has died’ (locative absolute with अहनि)

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• पितुः: of the father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थ

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; निषेधेन सह ‘न कुर्यात्’ (should not do)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• आदरात्: out of respect/with reverence
• आदरात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-deity figure explains to Devī the ‘kṣayāha’ rite: a calendar/astral motif showing the ‘twelfth’, ghee vessel prominent, and a solemn vignette of a son performing annual śrāddha for his father.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-obligations are central to gṛhastha-dharma; neglecting the father’s death-day śrāddha is treated as a serious lapse in reverent duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated in the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, where such rites are contextualized within the sanctity and merit-field of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Identifies the travel-related, ghee-based śrāddha as puṣṭy-artha and associates it with the ‘twelfth’ rite called kṣayāha; stresses śrāddha on the father’s death-day.