Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

अमावास्यां पितृश्राद्धे मंथनं यस्तु कारयेत् । तत्तक्रं मदिरातुल्यं घृतं गोमांसवत्स्मृतम्

Transliteration

amāvāsyāṃ pitṛśrāddhe maṃthanaṃ yastu kārayet | tattakraṃ madirātulyaṃ ghṛtaṃ gomāṃsavatsmṛtam

Translation

അമാവാസ്യയിലെ പിതൃശ്രാദ്ധത്തിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും മഥനം നടത്തിച്ചാൽ, ആ തക്രം മദിരയ്‌ക്ക് തുല്യവും ഘൃതം ഗോമാംസത്തിന് തുല്യവും (അശുദ്ധം) എന്നു സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

• amāvāsyām: on the new-moon day
• amāvāsyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• pitṛ-śrāddhe: in the ancestral śrāddha
• pitṛ-śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘पितॄणां श्राद्धम्’

• maṃthanam: churning (of curd etc.)
• maṃthanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃthana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yaḥ: who (ever)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• tu: however/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• kārayet: should cause to be done (i.e., have done)
• kārayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) causative (णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त

• tat-takram: that buttermilk
• tat-takram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + takra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः — ‘तत् तक्रम्’ (that buttermilk)

• madirā-tulyam: equal to liquor
• madirā-tulyam: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madirā (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (उपमान-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘मदिरायाः तुल्यम्’; विशेषणम् (qualifies tattakram)

• ghṛtam: ghee
• ghṛtam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• go-māṃsa-vat: like beef
• go-māṃsa-vat: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्धितान्त ‘-वत्’ (possessing/like); तत्पुरुष-समासः — ‘गोमांसवत्’ = like/akin to beef; विशेषणम् (qualifies ghṛtam)

• smṛtam: is considered/declared
• smṛtam: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) → smṛta (कृदन्त; past passive participle)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicative: ‘is considered’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting on amāvāsyā: priest halts a household from churning curd; vessels of milk, ghee, and offerings are arranged; the moonless sky and solemn pitṛ-rite atmosphere dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Pitṛ
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites require strict ritual discipline; seemingly ordinary acts can become improper when they disrupt śrāddha purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, emphasizing correct Pitṛ-ritual conduct in the sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not perform churning during Amāvāsyā Pitṛ-śrāddha; the products are deemed ritually tainted for that context.