Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

षण्मासमयने भुंक्ते त्रीन्मासान्विषुवे स्मृतम् । वर्षैर्द्वादशभिश्चैव यत्पुण्यं समुपार्जितम् । तत्सर्वं विलयं याति भुक्त्वा सूर्येन्दुसंप्लवे

Transliteration

ṣaṇmāsamayane bhuṃkte trīnmāsānviṣuve smṛtam | varṣairdvādaśabhiścaiva yatpuṇyaṃ samupārjitam | tatsarvaṃ vilayaṃ yāti bhuktvā sūryendusaṃplave

Translation

من أكل في زمن الأيَنة (الانقلاب)، قيل إنه يستهلك ثواب ستة أشهر؛ وفي زمن الفيشوفا (الاعتدال)، ثواب ثلاثة أشهر. وأيّ ثواب جُمِع خلال اثنتي عشرة سنة—فإنه بأكلٍ عند كسوف الشمس وخسوف القمر—يضمحل كله.

Word by Word

• ṣaṇmāsa-mayane: at the six-month solstice period
• ṣaṇmāsa-mayane: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ + māsa + ayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (ayana-); सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ṣaṇmāsasya ayanam)

• bhuṃkte: eats/enjoys
• bhuṃkte: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• trīn: three
• trīn: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• viṣuve: at the equinox
• viṣuve: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣu (प्रातिपदिक; viṣuva)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• smṛtam: is stated/remembered
• smṛtam: Kriya (Implied predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √smṛ धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (elliptic: ‘is said/remembered’)

• varṣaiḥ: by years
• varṣaiḥ: Karana (Measure/instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• dvādaśabhiḥ: twelve
• dvādaśabhiḥ: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण (agreeing with varṣaiḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic: just/indeed)

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Karma (Relative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (relative)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samupārjitam: accumulated/earned
• samupārjitam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-upa-ārjita (कृदन्त; sam+upa+√arj धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (qualifies puṇyam)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (qualifies tat)

• vilayam: to dissolution/destruction
• vilayam: Gati (Goal/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vilaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• yāti: goes/comes to
• yāti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhuktvā: having eaten
• bhuktvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √bhuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having eaten

• sūrya-indu-saṃplave: at the solar-lunar eclipse/conjunction
• sūrya-indu-saṃplave: Adhikarana (Time/event locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya + indu + saṃplava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (sūryendvoḥ saṃplavaḥ)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style within Māhātmya sections)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience seeking niyamas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coastal temple town under an eclipse: sun and moon overlapped; pilgrims stand in snāna and japa while a cautionary figure turns away from food; a symbolic heap of ‘merit’ dissolves into mist when eating occurs at grahaṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Indu (Candra)
• Ayana
• Viṣuva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Times of cosmic transition (ayana, viṣuva, eclipse) demand restraint; heedlessness can destroy long-earned puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the broader sacred setting; the verse frames dharma-rules relevant to its Māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition/strong warning against eating at ayana, viṣuva, and especially during eclipses.