Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 39
तस्मिञ्छुभे कृष्णपक्षे प्रथमायां तथा तिथौ । श्राद्धं महालयं कुर्याद्यो नरो भक्तिपूर्वकम्
tasmiñchubhe kṛṣṇapakṣe prathamāyāṃ tathā tithau | śrāddhaṃ mahālayaṃ kuryādyo naro bhaktipūrvakam
En cette quinzaine sombre et propice, au premier tithi, l’homme qui accomplit avec dévotion le śrāddha de Mahālaya agit comme il convient et en recueille le mérite.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Tirtha: Mahālaya śrāddha (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa prathamā)
Type: ghat
Scene: A devoted householder begins Mahālaya on kṛṣṇa-pakṣa prathamā: kuśa grass laid out, tila-water for tarpaṇa, piṇḍas prepared, brāhmaṇas seated for bhojana; the devotee’s posture shows reverence and concentration.
FAQs
Devotion plus correct timing makes ancestral rites especially fruitful and dharmically complete.
The Setukhaṇḍa backdrop supports the teaching, but the verse directly glorifies Mahālaya timing and śrāddha practice.
Perform Mahālaya śrāddha in Bhādrapada kṛṣṇa pakṣa, specifically on the prathamā tithi, with devotion.