Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 76
पूर्णचंद्रमसी या तु सा पूर्णा देवताप्रिया । नष्टस्तु चंद्रो यस्यां वा अमा सा कथिता बुधैः
pūrṇacaṃdramasī yā tu sā pūrṇā devatāpriyā | naṣṭastu caṃdro yasyāṃ vā amā sā kathitā budhaiḥ
جس رات چاند پورا ہو وہ ‘پورنا’ ہے، دیوتاؤں کو محبوب؛ اور جس میں چاند ‘غائب’ ہو (نظر نہ آئے) اسے ‘اما’ یعنی اماؤسیا کہتے ہیں—جیسا کہ اہلِ دانش بیان کرتے ہیں۔
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijas/ritual practitioners
Scene: Two contrasting nights: a radiant full moon adored by devas, and a dark moonless night where sages perform quiet offerings—set against a Himalayan shrine.
FAQs
The lunar cycle marks distinct sacred thresholds—fullness and dissolution—both guiding dharmic timing and devotional focus.
The teaching occurs within Kedārakhaṇḍa, but this verse does not single out a particular tirtha.
It identifies Pūrṇimā and Amāvāsyā as key tithis, commonly used for deity worship and ancestral rites.