Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 81
उपरागे न कुर्याद्यः पंके गौरिव सीदति । कुर्वाणस्तु तरेत्पापं सा च नौरिव सागरे
uparāge na kuryādyaḥ paṃke gauriva sīdati | kurvāṇastu taretpāpaṃ sā ca nauriva sāgare
ग्रहणकाळी जो विधिकर्म करत नाही, तो चिखलात गाईसारखा रुततो. पण जो करतो, तो पापातून तरतो—जशी नाव समुद्रात पार नेते.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Split-scene allegory: on one side a cow stuck in muddy mire under a darkened sky; on the other, a devotee in a small boat crossing a vast ocean labeled ‘pāpa’, holding ritual items, with the eclipsed orb above.
FAQs
Timely dharma at sacred times prevents spiritual decline and becomes a means to transcend sin.
Prabhāsakṣetra, where eclipse-time observances are praised for their exceptional efficacy.
Perform the prescribed observance during an eclipse; neglect is condemned, performance is said to ferry one beyond pāpa.