Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

लोहयष्ट्यां कृते श्राद्धे नभस्ये चंद्रसंक्षये । प्रेतयोनिविनिर्मुक्ताः क्रीडंति पितरो दिवि

Transliteration

lohayaṣṭyāṃ kṛte śrāddhe nabhasye caṃdrasaṃkṣaye | pretayonivinirmuktāḥ krīḍaṃti pitaro divi

Translation

Wenn in Lohayaṣṭikā im Monat Nabhas beim Abnehmen des Mondes Śrāddha vollzogen wird, dann spielen die Ahnen—vom Dasein als Preta befreit—im Himmel.

Word by Word

• lohayaṣṭyām: at/on the iron staff (place called Lohayaṣṭī)
• lohayaṣṭyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loha (प्रातिपदिक) + yaṣṭī/yaṣṭikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (लोहयाṣṭī)

• kṛte: performed
• kṛte: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धे’ इति पदस्य विशेषण (done/performed)

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• nabhasye: in Nabhasya (Bhādrapada)
• nabhasye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मासवाचक

• caṃdrasaṃkṣaye: at the moon’s waning/end
• caṃdrasaṃkṣaye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रस्य संक्षये)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• pretayoni-vinirmuktāḥ: freed from the preta-state
• pretayoni-vinirmuktāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक) + vi-nis-√muc (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (प्रेतयोन्या विनिर्मुक्ताः = freed from the state/womb of preta)

• krīḍanti: play/sport
• krīḍanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• pitaraḥ: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• divi: in heaven
• divi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lohayaṣṭikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night of the dark fortnight by a small shrine; a family performs śrāddha with piṇḍas and water offerings; above, luminous ancestors rise from shadowy preta forms into radiant pitṛs, then appear playing in svarga gardens.

Characters & Entities

• Lohayaṣṭikā
• Nabhas (Bhādrapada)
• Pitṛs
• Preta-yoni
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly timed and located śrāddha is depicted as directly benefiting ancestors, transforming their condition and granting heavenly well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lohayaṣṭikā, a sacred site in the Dharmāraṇya landscape associated with powerful pitṛ rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at Lohayaṣṭikā in Nabhas (Bhādrapada) during candra-saṃkṣaya (waning of the moon).