Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

नवम्यां तु तिथौ मर्त्यो यो न कुर्यान्महालयम् । अपस्मारेण पीड्येत तथैव ब्रह्मरक्षसा

Transliteration

navamyāṃ tu tithau martyo yo na kuryānmahālayam | apasmāreṇa pīḍyeta tathaiva brahmarakṣasā

Translation

ในวันนวมิ (ตithi ที่เก้า) ผู้เป็นมนุษย์ผู้ใดไม่ประกอบพิธีมหาลยะ ผู้นั้นย่อมถูกความทุกข์จากลมชักครอบงำ และยังถูกรบกวนโดยพรหมรากษสด้วยเช่นกัน

Word by Word

• नवम्याम्: on the ninth (tithi)
• नवम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/contrast particle)

• तिथौ: on the lunar day
• तिथौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Discourse (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; सकर्मक

• महालयम्: Mahālaya rite/observance
• महालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपस्मारेण: by epilepsy; with epilepsy
• अपस्मारेण: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपस्मार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन

• पीड्येत: would be afflicted
• पीड्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पीड् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्/लृङ्-प्रायः (potential passive), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Discourse (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Discourse (Particle/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphasis particle)

• ब्रह्मरक्षसा: by a brahma-rākṣasa (demon)
• ब्रह्मरक्षसा: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मरक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रयोगः (ब्रह्म-रक्षसः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee hesitates on Navamī, leaving śrāddha unperformed; dark, looming brahmarākṣasa presence and seizure imagery contrast with a nearby lit altar awaiting offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mahālaya
• Brahmarākṣasa
• Apasmāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of prescribed ancestral duties (pitṛ-dharma) leads to suffering, indicating the moral weight of śrāddha obligations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra/Setu region is the larger pilgrimage frame, though this verse focuses on timing (Navamī) of Mahālaya rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Mahālaya rites on Navamī; failure is said to bring affliction.