Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

दर्शं च पौर्णमासं च पितुः सांवत्सरं दिनम् । पूर्वविद्धमकुर्वाणो नरकं प्रतिपद्यते

Transliteration

darśaṃ ca paurṇamāsaṃ ca pituḥ sāṃvatsaraṃ dinam | pūrvaviddhamakurvāṇo narakaṃ pratipadyate

Translation

అమావాస్య దర్శకర్మ, పౌర్ణమాస కర్మ, అలాగే తండ్రి వార్షిక శ్రాద్ధదినం—పూర్వవిద్ధ తిథిని యథావిధిగా పరిగణించి ఇవి చేయని వాడు నరకాన్ని పొందుతాడు।

Word by Word

• darśam: the new-moon rite/day (darśa)
• darśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• paurṇamāsam: the full-moon rite/day (paurṇamāsa)
• paurṇamāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paurṇamāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• pituḥ: of the father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sāṃvatsaram: annual/yearly
• sāṃvatsaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying 'dinam'

• dinam: day (anniversary day)
• dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pūrvaviddham: (the tithi) that is pūrva-viddha (overlapped/affected earlier)
• pūrvaviddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva + viddha (प्रातिपदिक; viddha from √vidh/√vyadh? here 'pierced/affected', calendrical term)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: 'pūrvam viddham' = 'previously affected (by tithi)'

• akurvāṇaḥ: not doing/neglecting
• akurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Parasmaipada sense; with negation prefix a-; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pratipadyate: attains/goes to
• pratipadyate: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√pad (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at Prabhāsa prepares darśa/paurṇamāsa and annual pitṛ-śrāddha; a pañcāṅga is consulted for pūrvaviddha tithi while the sea-temple horizon of Somnātha glows; the warning of naraka is shown as a shadowy contrast behind the ritual scene.

Characters & Entities

• Darśa
• Paurṇamāsa
• Śrāddha
• Pūrvaviddha
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of obligatory rites and improper timing is treated as a serious breach of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the māhātmya teaches correct performance of lunar and ancestral rites within this sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśa, paurṇamāsa, and annual pitṛ-day rites according to the pūrvaviddha timing rule; otherwise severe demerit is stated.