Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
कालं हि सृजता तेन कुतपः प्राग्विनिर्मितः । तस्मात्कुतप काले च श्राद्धं कार्यं विजानता । य इच्छेच्छाश्वतीं तृप्तिं पितॄणामात्मनः सुखम्
kālaṃ hi sṛjatā tena kutapaḥ prāgvinirmitaḥ | tasmātkutapa kāle ca śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ vijānatā | ya icchecchāśvatīṃ tṛptiṃ pitṝṇāmātmanaḥ sukham
Sesungguhnya, ketika Dia mencipta Waktu, maka «kutapa» (masa yang mujarab dan bertuah) telah dibentuk terlebih dahulu. Oleh itu, orang yang memahami hendaklah melaksanakan śrāddha pada waktu kutapa—jika dia menginginkan kepuasan yang berkekalan bagi para Pitṛ serta kebahagiaan bagi dirinya sendiri.
Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)
Type: ghat
Scene: A sun-disc marks the kutapa period (midday auspicious window) as a priest signals the correct moment; the householder begins śrāddha precisely then. Time is personified subtly as Kāla behind Brahmā, indicating kutapa was fashioned before other measures of time.
FAQs
Right timing (kāla) is a pillar of dharma: performing rites in the prescribed auspicious window is said to increase their fruit.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it teaches śrāddha timing within a broader tīrtha-māhātmya setting.
Perform śrāddha specifically during kutapa-kāla to secure lasting pitṛ satisfaction and personal well-being.