Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 129

Devanagari script

दशमीं पौर्णमासीं च पित्रोः सांवत्सरं दिनम् । पूर्वविद्धं प्रकुर्वाणो नरकं प्रतिपद्यते

Transliteration

daśamīṃ paurṇamāsīṃ ca pitroḥ sāṃvatsaraṃ dinam | pūrvaviddhaṃ prakurvāṇo narakaṃ pratipadyate

Translation

जो दशमी, पौर्णिमा आणि पितरांचे सांवत्सरिक दिन ‘पूर्वविद्ध’ मानून करतो, तो नरकास प्राप्त होतो.

Word by Word

• daśamīm: the tenth lunar day (Daśamī)
• daśamīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• paurṇamāsīm: the full-moon day (Paurṇamāsī)
• paurṇamāsīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paurṇamāsī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• pitroḥ: of the two ancestors/parents (pitṛs)
• pitroḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), द्विवचन (Dual)

• sāṃvatsaram: annual, yearly
• sāṃvatsaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying)

• dinam: day
• dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūrvaviddham: (a tithi) touched/affected earlier (pūrvaviddha)
• pūrvaviddham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + viddha (कृदन्त; √vidh/√vid? here 'viddha' = 'pierced/affected', conventional tithi-term)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying)

• prakurvāṇaḥ: doing/performing
• prakurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Gati/Karma (Destination as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• pratipadyate: attains/goes to
• pratipadyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√pad (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendar wheel showing Daśamī and Paurṇamāsī; a householder about to perform sāṃvatsarika is stopped by a learned guide, with a symbolic glimpse of naraka as a warning backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Daśamī
• Paurṇamāsī
• Pitṛ (ancestors)
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Calendar-dharma is not optional: mishandling key tithis for pitṛ-kārya is depicted as a severe moral-spiritual transgression.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Dvārakā Māhātmya, though the instruction concerns general pitṛ-ritual law.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not perform daśamī/paurṇamāsī/sāṃvatsarika rites in a pūrva-viddha manner when that is deemed improper for these observances.