Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

पूर्णिमायां तथाष्टम्यां विड्वरे राष्ट्रविप्लवे । उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे कल्पादिषु युगादिषु

Transliteration

pūrṇimāyāṃ tathāṣṭamyāṃ viḍvare rāṣṭraviplave | upākarmaṇi cotsarge kalpādiṣu yugādiṣu

Translation

Am Vollmondtag und am achten Mondtag; in Zeiten von Unheil und Umsturz im Reich; bei den Riten des upākarman und des utsarga; und zu den Anfängen von kalpas und yugas — bei all dem ist das heilige Studium beiseitezulegen.

Word by Word

• पूर्णिमायाम्: on the full-moon day
• पूर्णिमायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्णिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth lunar day
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; lunar 8th day

• विड्वरे: in/at filth (excremental impurity)
• विड्वरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विड्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘विड्वर’ = excrement/filth (impure place/condition)

• राष्ट्रविप्लवे: during upheaval/calamity of the kingdom
• राष्ट्रविप्लवे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र + विप्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—राष्ट्रस्य विप्लवः = राष्ट्रविप्लवः

• उपाकर्मणि: at the upākarma rite
• उपाकर्मणि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘उपाकर्मन्’ = Vedic term-beginning rite

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उत्सर्गे: at the utsarga (concluding rite)
• उत्सर्गे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘उत्सर्ग’ = release/ending rite

• कल्पादिषु: in kalpas and the like
• कल्पादिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—कल्पः आदिः येषां (or ‘कल्प-आदि’ as a set) = कल्पादि; ‘-ṣu’ = locative plural

• युगादिषु: in yugas and the like
• युगादिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—युग-आदि; ‘-ṣu’ = locative plural

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual hall where a brahmin performs upākarman with sacred thread and water-pot; a full moon rises; a cosmic wheel depicts yuga/kalpa transitions; in the distance, a troubled kingdom scene suggests rāṣṭra-viplava.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual order protects spiritual power: dharma teaches when to act and when to pause, so sacred practices remain auspicious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a general dharma guideline within the Dharmāraṇya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references upākarman and utsarga as key ritual occasions and treats them as anadhyāya times for Vedic study.