Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 144

Devanagari script

सशल्यं ये प्रकुर्वंति वासरं केशव प्रियम् । तेषां पितामहाः स्वर्गात्प्रेतत्वं यांति पुत्रक

Transliteration

saśalyaṃ ye prakurvaṃti vāsaraṃ keśava priyam | teṣāṃ pitāmahāḥ svargātpretatvaṃ yāṃti putraka

Translation

‘ਹੇ ਪੁੱਤਰ, ਜੋ ਕੇਸ਼ਵ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਿਯ ਦਿਨ ਨੂੰ ਦੋਸ਼-ਸਮੇਤ (ਸਸ਼ਲ੍ਯ) ਮਨਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਿਤਾਮਹ ਸਵਰਗ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਡਿੱਗ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰੇਤਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ।’

Word by Word

• सशल्यम्: with a thorn/with pain; afflicted
• सशल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-शल्य (प्रातिपदिक; शल्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (adjective)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: perform/do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• वासरम्: day; observance-day
• वासरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• केशव: O Keśava
• केशव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रियम्: dear; pleasing
• प्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वासरम् इति)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• पितामहाः: grandfathers/ancestors
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्वर्गात्: from heaven
• स्वर्गात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (ablative), एकवचन

• प्रेतत्वम्: state of being a preta (ghosthood)
• प्रेतत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक; प्रेत + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यान्ति: go/attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुत्रक: O dear son
• पुत्रक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Pretāḥ (departed spirits)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Candraśarman (addressed as ‘putraka’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pretas deliver a stern warning: a tainted Dvādaśī observance causes even grandfathers to fall from heaven into preta-hood; imagery contrasts a luminous svarga scene collapsing into shadowy preta forms, with Keśava’s day symbolized by a bright calendrical disc pierced by a thorn.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Improper religious practice can harm not only the practitioner but also the ancestral line, as dharma is intergenerational.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Dvārakā Māhātmya; the remedy is later tied to Gomati and Dvārakā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A warning: do not perform Keśava’s sacred observance-day ‘saśalya’ (with defect/impurity).