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

Parce que mes aïeux, jadis, observèrent un jour sacré de manière fautive, ils tombèrent dans l’état de preta—une affliction qui engendre une immense souffrance.

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.