Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

द्रव्याभावे द्विजाभावे प्रवासे पुत्रजन्मनि । आमश्राद्धं प्रकुर्वीत यस्य भार्या रजस्वला

Transliteration

dravyābhāve dvijābhāve pravāse putrajanmani | āmaśrāddhaṃ prakurvīta yasya bhāryā rajasvalā

Translation

Sa kakulangan ng handog, sa kakulangan ng brāhmaṇa, habang nasa paglalakbay na malayo sa tahanan, o sa pagsilang ng anak na lalaki—kung ang asawa ay may regla, dapat isagawa ang “āma-śrāddha”, isang payak na Śrāddha ayon sa pangangailangan.

Word by Word

• dravya-abhāve: in the absence of wealth/materials
• dravya-abhāve: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dravya (प्रातिपदिक) + abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘द्रव्यस्य अभावः’

• dvija-abhāve: in the absence of a Brahmin/priest
• dvija-abhāve: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘द्विजस्य अभावः’

• pravāse: while away on a journey
• pravāse: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• putra-janmani: at the birth of a son
• putra-janmani: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘पुत्रस्य जन्म’

• āma-śrāddham: an ‘āma’ (uncooked/unfinished) śrāddha
• āma-śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āma (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः — ‘आमं श्राद्धम्’ (uncooked/unfinished śrāddha)

• prakurvīta: should perform
• prakurvīta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (genitive of relation)

• bhāryā: wife
• bhāryā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• rajasvalā: menstruating
• rajasvalā: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajasvalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying bhāryā)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler at Prabhāsa performs a modest śrāddha: small water-pot, darbha, tilā, a simple food offering; no elaborate vessels; a distant sign of travel (bundle/staff). A newborn cradle motif indicates ‘son’s birth’ context; the wife rests apart, indicating rajas/constraint without explicit depiction.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When ideal ritual conditions are impossible, dharma provides permissible simplified forms so devotion to ancestors is not abandoned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the narrative setting; the verse focuses on śrāddha contingencies rather than a single named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform āma-śrāddha under constraints such as lack of resources/brāhmaṇa, travel, or childbirth, especially when the wife is menstruating.