Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मवातकतुल्यः स्याच्छ्राद्धाकरणदोषतः । एकादश्यां तिथौ यस्तु श्राद्धं कुर्यान्महालयम्

Transliteration

brahmavātakatulyaḥ syācchrāddhākaraṇadoṣataḥ | ekādaśyāṃ tithau yastu śrāddhaṃ kuryānmahālayam

Translation

Par la faute de ne pas accomplir le Śrāddha, on devient semblable à un brahma-vātaka, un pécheur très grave ; mais celui qui accomplit le Mahālaya Śrāddha au tithi d’Ekādaśī est délivré de ce blâme.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मवातकतुल्यः: equal to (the sin of) brahmavātaka
• ब्रह्मवातकतुल्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मवातक (प्रातिपदिक) + तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (‘ब्रह्मवातकेन तुल्यः’/‘like brahmavātaka’)

• स्यात्: would be/becomes
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• श्राद्धाकरणदोषतः: due to the fault of not performing śrāddha
• श्राद्धाकरणदोषतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + अकरण (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (‘श्राद्धस्य अकरणस्य दोषः’ → ‘from the fault of not performing śrāddha’)

• एकादश्याम्: on Ekādaśī
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तिथौ: on the lunar day
• तिथौ: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Relative pronoun; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेष) — Particle (‘but/indeed’)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• महालयम्: Mahālaya (rite/observance)
• महालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (‘महान् आलयः/आलयम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A person burdened by dark stigma labeled ‘śrāddhākaraṇa-doṣa’ becomes purified as he performs Mahālaya śrāddha on Ekādaśī; the darkness lifts and a calm radiance returns.

Characters & Entities

• Ekādaśī
• Mahālaya
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites are not optional in purāṇic dharma; neglect is treated as a serious moral failure, while timely Mahālaya Śrāddha restores merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setukhaṇḍa), a famed pilgrimage landscape for pitṛ offerings and expiation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Mahālaya Śrāddha specifically on Ekādaśī tithi.