Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
सोमक्षये विशेषेण शृणुष्वैकमना नृप । अमा नाम रवे रश्मिसहस्रप्रमुखः स्थितः
somakṣaye viśeṣeṇa śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa | amā nāma rave raśmisahasrapramukhaḥ sthitaḥ
“Sekarang dengarlah dengan tumpuan satu hati, wahai raja, ajaran khusus tentang susutnya Bulan. Di dalam Matahari bersemayam suatu kuasa bernama Amā, yang utama di antara ribuan sinar.”
Bhartṛyajña (sage)
Listener: nṛpa (king)
Scene: A sage addresses a king; above them a stylized Sun with countless rays, and the Moon diminishing toward conjunction; the concept of 'Amā' is personified as a subtle solar śakti within the solar disc.
FAQs
Sacred timing is grounded in a Purāṇic cosmology where celestial forces shape ritual potency, especially for Pitṛ-kārya.
No site is named; the verse explains the cosmic basis for Amāvasyā within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra discourse.
It introduces the special importance of performing rites at somakṣaya (Amāvasyā context).