Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
आनर्त उवाच । त्रयोदश्यां कृते श्राद्धे कस्माद्वंशक्षयो भवेत् । एतन्मे सर्वमाचक्ष्व विस्तरात्त्वं महा मुने । भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । एषा मेध्यतमा राजन्युगादिः कलिसंभवा । स्नाने दाने जपे होमे श्राद्धे ज्ञेया तथाऽक्षया
ānarta uvāca | trayodaśyāṃ kṛte śrāddhe kasmādvaṃśakṣayo bhavet | etanme sarvamācakṣva vistarāttvaṃ mahā mune | bhartṛyajña uvāca | eṣā medhyatamā rājanyugādiḥ kalisaṃbhavā | snāne dāne jape home śrāddhe jñeyā tathā'kṣayā
Raja Ānarta berkata: “Bila Śrāddha dilakukan pada Trayodaśī, mengapa kemerosotan garis keturunan bisa terjadi? Jelaskan semuanya kepadaku dengan rinci, wahai mahāmuni.” Bhartṛyajña menjawab: “Wahai Raja, tithi ini paling menyucikan—hari pembuka zaman yang muncul di Kali-yuga. Dalam mandi suci, dana, japa, homa, dan Śrāddha, ia dikenal sebagai ‘Akṣayā’, pemberi buah yang tak binasa.”
Dialogue: King Ānarta; Sage Bhartṛyajña
Listener: King Ānarta
Scene: A king (Ānarta) respectfully questions a seated sage (Bhartṛyajña) about Trayodaśī-śrāddha; ritual items—kuśa grass, water-pot, sesame, fire-altar—suggest snāna/dāna/japa/homa/śrāddha as a unified dharma-day.
FAQs
Ritual timing in the lunar calendar matters in Purāṇic dharma, and certain tithis are praised as ‘akṣaya’—yielding lasting merit.
The teaching occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya framework, though the verse focuses on tithi-glory rather than naming a tīrtha.
Trayodaśī is identified as highly purifying and ‘akṣayā’ for snāna, dāna, japa, homa, and Śrāddha.