Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 82
महाबालध्वनौ रात्रावनध्यायाः प्रकीर्तिताः । उल्कापाते च भूकंपे दिग्दाहे मध्यरात्रिषु
mahābāladhvanau rātrāvanadhyāyāḥ prakīrtitāḥ | ulkāpāte ca bhūkaṃpe digdāhe madhyarātriṣu
രാത്രിയിൽ ഭയങ്കരമായ മഹാധ്വനി ഉണ്ടാകുമ്പോൾ അനധ്യായം (പാരായണം/പഠനം നിർത്തൽ) നിർദേശിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; അതുപോലെ ഉൽക്കാപാതം, ഭൂകമ്പം, ദിഗ്ദാഹം സമയങ്ങളിൽ—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് അർദ്ധരാത്രിയിൽ.
Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)
Scene: Midnight scene: a meteor streaks across the sky; the earth trembles; distant horizon glows as if quarters burn. In an āśrama, students roll up manuscripts and sit in silent japa while elders perform a small śānti-homa.
FAQs
Sacred study is governed by cosmic and environmental rhythms; dharma includes knowing when to pause, not only when to act.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a general rule for anadhyāya.
Anadhyāya is prescribed during ominous events such as terrifying nighttime sounds, meteor-falls, earthquakes, and directional conflagrations—especially around midnight.