Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

निषेककाले सोमे च सीमन्तोन्नयने तथा । तथा पुंसवने चैव श्राद्धं कर्मांगमेव च

Transliteration

niṣekakāle some ca sīmantonnayane tathā | tathā puṃsavane caiva śrāddhaṃ karmāṃgameva ca

Translation

നിഷേകസംസ്കാരകാലത്ത്, സോമബന്ധിത കർമത്തിൽ, സീമന്തോന്നയനത്തിലും പുംസവനസംസ്കാരത്തിലും—ശ്രാദ്ധം ആ ആ സംസ്കാരങ്ങളുടെ കർമാംഗമായി തന്നെ നിർവഹിക്കേണ്ടതാണ്।

Word by Word

• निषेककाले: at the time of conception rite (niṣeka)
• निषेककाले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषेक (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (निषेकस्य काले); अधिकरण

• सोमे: on Soma (moon-related day/occasion)
• सोमे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सीमन्तोन्नयने: at the sīmantonnayana rite
• सीमन्तोन्नयने: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीमन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + उन्नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सीमन्तस्य उन्नयने); अधिकरण

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (likewise/also)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-समुच्चय (also)

• पुंसवने: at the puṃsavana rite
• पुंसवने: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंसवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधान-विषय (the rite to be done)

• कर्माङ्गम्: a subsidiary part of a rite
• कर्माङ्गम्: Pratipadyamāna (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कर्मणः अङ्गम्)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence of prenatal saṃskāras: sīmantonnayana with the pregnant woman seated, family elders present; alongside, a small śrāddha-aṅga setup with darbha, water, and offerings to pitṛs, showing continuity between ancestors and new life.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household sacraments are strengthened by remembrance of ancestors; śrāddha functions as a supporting limb of key life-cycle rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, implying Prabhāsa as a fitting sacred setting for dharmic saṃskāras and Pitṛ rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha is prescribed as a karmāṅga (auxiliary rite) during niṣeka, soma-occasion, sīmantonnayana, and puṃsavana.