Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सविद्धं वासरं यस्मा त्कृतं मम पितामहैः । प्रेतत्वं तेन संप्राप्तं महादुःखप्रसाधकम्

Transliteration

saviddhaṃ vāsaraṃ yasmā tkṛtaṃ mama pitāmahaiḥ | pretatvaṃ tena saṃprāptaṃ mahāduḥkhaprasādhakam

Translation

Weil meine Großväter einst einen heiligen Tag nicht ordnungsgemäß hielten, gelangten sie in den Zustand eines preta—ein Leid, das ungeheuren Schmerz hervorbringt.

Word by Word

• saviddham: tainted, defective
• saviddham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + viddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; विशेषण

• vāsaram: day
• vāsaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• yasmāt: from which, because of which
• yasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-एकवचन (Ablative singular); सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• kṛtam: was done
• kṛtam: Kriyā (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• pitāmahaiḥ: by (my) grandfathers/forefathers
• pitāmahaiḥ: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• pretatvam: state of being a preta (ghosthood)
• pretatvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. singular)

• tena: by that, because of that
• tena: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• saṃprāptam: was attained/occurred
• saṃprāptam: Kriyā (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + √prāp (प्राप् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन

• mahā-duḥkha-prasādhakam: causing great suffering
• mahā-duḥkha-prasādhakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + prasādhaka (प्रातिपदिक; from pra+√sādh)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (महद् दुःखं प्रसाधयति/जनयति इति)

Speaker

A devotee/pilgrim supplicating to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) within Dvārakā Māhātmya context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-ādi ṛṣis (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sorrowful narrator/devotee recounts the fate of forefathers: shadowy pretas in a liminal landscape, contrasted with the bright sanctity of Hari’s day in Dvārakā—showing how a ritual defect led to immense suffering.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇa
• pitāmaha (forefathers)
• preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rituals and sacred-day observances should be performed correctly; negligence can become a cause of suffering for oneself or one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, the sacred city of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, presented as a place where grace can remedy even severe karmic afflictions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references a “vāsara” (sacred day/fast-day) and warns against “saviddha” (defective) observance.