Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46
वनस्पतिगते सोमे या च्छाया पूर्वतोमुखी । गजच्छाया तु सा ज्ञेया पितॄणां दत्तमक्षयम्
vanaspatigate some yā cchāyā pūrvatomukhī | gajacchāyā tu sā jñeyā pitṝṇāṃ dattamakṣayam
Ketika Bulan berada pada Vanaspati dan ‘bayangan’ menghadap ke timur, maka itu hendaklah dikenali sebagai ‘gaja-chāyā’ (bayangan gajah); persembahan kepada para Pitṛ pada saat itu menjadi akṣaya, tak akan lenyap.
Agniveśa
Scene: The Moon is shown aligned with a ‘Vanaspati’ marker; an east-facing shadow stretches on the ground like an elephant; a family performs pitṛ offerings, and the offerings are depicted as multiplying or shining to signify imperishability.
FAQs
Certain sacred times amplify dharma: offerings to pitṛs made at auspicious moments yield akṣaya (inexhaustible) fruit.
The verse glorifies auspicious time rather than a named place, within a broader tīrtha-centric chapter.
Perform pitṛ offerings/śrāddha during the ‘gaja-chāyā’ condition (Moon in Vanaspati with east-facing chāyā) for akṣaya results.