Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

मासिमासि च यच्छ्राद्धं षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम् । अत्र न क्रियते यस्य प्रेतत्वात्स न मुच्यते

Transliteration

māsimāsi ca yacchrāddhaṃ ṣoḍaśaśrāddhapūrvakam | atra na kriyate yasya pretatvātsa na mucyate

Translation

ഷോഡശ-ശ്രാദ്ധങ്ങളോടെ ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന മാസാന്ത ശ്രാദ്ധം ഇവിടെ ആര്ക്കായി ചെയ്യപ്പെടുന്നില്ലെങ്കിൽ, അവൻ പ്രേതത്വത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• मासि-मासि: month by month
• मासि-मासि: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (month by month)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma/Subject-link (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (which)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम्: preceded by the sixteen śrāddhas
• षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षोडशश्राद्धेन पूर्वकं (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-भावः), ‘preceded by sixteen śrāddhas’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• यस्य: of whom
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (of whom/whose)

• प्रेतत्वात्: due to (his) preta-state
• प्रेतत्वात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व); हेत्वर्थ (because of being a preta)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• मुच्यते: is released/freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual calendar motif showing monthly śrāddhas and the sixteen śrāddhas; a preta bound by subtle chains that loosen as rites are performed, but remain tight when rites are omitted.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Ṣoḍaśa-śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is presented as essential compassion and duty: without it, the departed remains bound in the preta-condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the emphasis is on rite-performance rather than pilgrimage geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the ṣoḍaśa-śrāddha (sixteen śrāddhas) and continue monthly śrāddha.