Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

मासिमासि च यच्छ्राद्धं षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम् । अत्र न क्रियते यस्य प्रेतत्वात्स न मुच्यते

Transliteration

māsimāsi ca yacchrāddhaṃ ṣoḍaśaśrāddhapūrvakam | atra na kriyate yasya pretatvātsa na mucyate

Translation

اگر ماہ بہ ماہ ہونے والا شرادھ—سولہ شرادھوں سے آغاز کرکے—کسی کے لیے یہاں ادا نہ کیا جائے تو وہ پریت ہونے کی حالت سے آزاد نہیں ہوتا۔

Word by Word

• मासि-मासि: month by month
• मासि-मासि: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (month by month)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma/Subject-link (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (which)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम्: preceded by the sixteen śrāddhas
• षोडशश्राद्धपूर्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षोडशश्राद्धेन पूर्वकं (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-भावः), ‘preceded by sixteen śrāddhas’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• यस्य: of whom
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (of whom/whose)

• प्रेतत्वात्: due to (his) preta-state
• प्रेतत्वात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व); हेत्वर्थ (because of being a preta)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• मुच्यते: is released/freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual calendar motif showing monthly śrāddhas and the sixteen śrāddhas; a preta bound by subtle chains that loosen as rites are performed, but remain tight when rites are omitted.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Ṣoḍaśa-śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is presented as essential compassion and duty: without it, the departed remains bound in the preta-condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the emphasis is on rite-performance rather than pilgrimage geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the ṣoḍaśa-śrāddha (sixteen śrāddhas) and continue monthly śrāddha.