Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 76
पूर्णचंद्रमसी या तु सा पूर्णा देवताप्रिया । नष्टस्तु चंद्रो यस्यां वा अमा सा कथिता बुधैः
pūrṇacaṃdramasī yā tu sā pūrṇā devatāpriyā | naṣṭastu caṃdro yasyāṃ vā amā sā kathitā budhaiḥ
ज्या रात्री पूर्णचंद्र असतो ती ‘पूर्णा’ (पौर्णिमा) देवतांना प्रिय; आणि ज्या रात्री चंद्र दिसत नाही तो ‘अमा’ (अमावस्या) असे बुध म्हणतात.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijas/ritual practitioners
Scene: Two contrasting nights: a radiant full moon adored by devas, and a dark moonless night where sages perform quiet offerings—set against a Himalayan shrine.
FAQs
The lunar cycle marks distinct sacred thresholds—fullness and dissolution—both guiding dharmic timing and devotional focus.
The teaching occurs within Kedārakhaṇḍa, but this verse does not single out a particular tirtha.
It identifies Pūrṇimā and Amāvāsyā as key tithis, commonly used for deity worship and ancestral rites.