Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 131

Devanagari script

क्षयाहे तु पुनः प्रोक्ता स्वकालव्यापिनी तिथिः । श्राद्धं तत्र प्रकर्तव्यं ह्रासवृद्धी न कारणम्

Transliteration

kṣayāhe tu punaḥ proktā svakālavyāpinī tithiḥ | śrāddhaṃ tatra prakartavyaṃ hrāsavṛddhī na kāraṇam

Translation

Au jour de perte de tithi (kṣaya), il est de nouveau enseigné qu’il faut retenir la tithi qui embrasse son temps propre. C’est alors qu’il convient d’accomplir le śrāddha ; l’apparente diminution ou augmentation (de l’étendue de la tithi) n’est pas une raison de s’en abstenir.

Word by Word

• kṣayāhe: on a day of loss/shortening (kṣayāha)
• kṣayāhe: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣayāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: however
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेष/विरोधबोधक अव्यय (particle)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिबोधक अव्यय (adverb: again)

• proktā: is declared/said
• proktā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• svakālavyāpinī: pervading its own proper time
• svakālavyāpinī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vyāpinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying tithiḥ)

• tithiḥ: lunar day (tithi)
• tithiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• tatra: there/in that case
• tatra: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रसङ्गबोधक अव्यय (adverb: there/in that case)

• prakartavyam: should be performed
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्तव्यतार्थक कृदन्त (Gerundive/तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• hrāsavṛddhī: decrease and increase
• hrāsavṛddhī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hrāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual) (as dvandva pair)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक अव्यय (negation particle)

• kāraṇam: a cause/reason
• kāraṇam: Kriya (Predicate nominal/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual) / Prabhāsa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-priest consults a pañcāṅga under a temple lamp, explaining kṣaya-tithi while preparing śrāddha offerings (piṇḍa, tila, kuśa) near a sacred shore.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣaya tithi (tithi-loss)
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When calendrical anomalies occur, dharma provides a principled rule—choose the tithi that truly occupies its rightful time and proceed with duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in Dvārakā Māhātmya, though it applies to śrāddha practice broadly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On kṣaya days, perform śrāddha according to the tithi that pervades its proper time; do not treat hrāsa/vṛddhi as a disqualifier.