Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66
स्नानदानजपश्राद्धहोमादिषु महाफलाः । त्रेताद्याः क्रमशः प्रोक्ताः कालाः संक्रांतिपूर्वकाः । नैतेषु विद्यते विघ्नं दत्तस्याक्षयसंज्ञिताः
snānadānajapaśrāddhahomādiṣu mahāphalāḥ | tretādyāḥ kramaśaḥ proktāḥ kālāḥ saṃkrāṃtipūrvakāḥ | naiteṣu vidyate vighnaṃ dattasyākṣayasaṃjñitāḥ
Dalam mandi suci, sedekah, japa, upacara śrāddha, persembahan api (homa) dan seumpamanya, waktu-waktu ini—bermula dengan ‘Tretā’ dan seterusnya, diajarkan menurut tertib serta didahului Saṃkrānti—memberi hasil yang besar. Pada waktu-waktu ini tiada halangan; apa yang didermakan ketika itu disebut ‘akṣaya’, tidak binasa.
Bhartṛyajña (contextual; addressing the King)
Type: ghat
Listener: King (contextual)
Scene: A sequence tableau at a river-ghāṭa: devotees bathe, then give alms, then sit for japa; a householder performs śrāddha with piṇḍa and tarpaṇa; a priest tends a small homa fire—above, the Sun marks saṃkrānti; the atmosphere is ‘nirvighna’ and luminous.
FAQs
When dharmic acts align with sanctified time, their spiritual fruit becomes steady and ‘akṣaya’, unhindered by obstacles.
The verse is primarily about sacred timing; the site-framework is the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.
It recommends performing snāna, dāna, japa, śrāddha, and homa in saṃkrānti-connected auspicious periods, describing them as high-fruit and obstacle-free.