Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

अमावास्यां पितृश्राद्धे मंथनं यस्तु कारयेत् । तत्तक्रं मदिरातुल्यं घृतं गोमांसवत्स्मृतम्

Transliteration

amāvāsyāṃ pitṛśrāddhe maṃthanaṃ yastu kārayet | tattakraṃ madirātulyaṃ ghṛtaṃ gomāṃsavatsmṛtam

Translation

اماوسیا کے دن پِتر شَرادھ کے وقت اگر کوئی دہی/دودھ کو متھوانے کا کام کرائے، تو وہ چھاچھ شراب کے مانند سمجھی جاتی ہے، اور گھی کو گائے کے گوشت کے مانند یاد کیا گیا ہے (یعنی اس رسم میں نامناسب)۔

Word by Word

• amāvāsyām: on the new-moon day
• amāvāsyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• pitṛ-śrāddhe: in the ancestral śrāddha
• pitṛ-śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘पितॄणां श्राद्धम्’

• maṃthanam: churning (of curd etc.)
• maṃthanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃthana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yaḥ: who (ever)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• tu: however/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• kārayet: should cause to be done (i.e., have done)
• kārayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) causative (णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त

• tat-takram: that buttermilk
• tat-takram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + takra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः — ‘तत् तक्रम्’ (that buttermilk)

• madirā-tulyam: equal to liquor
• madirā-tulyam: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madirā (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (उपमान-तत्पुरुषः) — ‘मदिरायाः तुल्यम्’; विशेषणम् (qualifies tattakram)

• ghṛtam: ghee
• ghṛtam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• go-māṃsa-vat: like beef
• go-māṃsa-vat: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्धितान्त ‘-वत्’ (possessing/like); तत्पुरुष-समासः — ‘गोमांसवत्’ = like/akin to beef; विशेषणम् (qualifies ghṛtam)

• smṛtam: is considered/declared
• smṛtam: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) → smṛta (कृदन्त; past passive participle)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicative: ‘is considered’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting on amāvāsyā: priest halts a household from churning curd; vessels of milk, ghee, and offerings are arranged; the moonless sky and solemn pitṛ-rite atmosphere dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Pitṛ
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites require strict ritual discipline; seemingly ordinary acts can become improper when they disrupt śrāddha purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, emphasizing correct Pitṛ-ritual conduct in the sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not perform churning during Amāvāsyā Pitṛ-śrāddha; the products are deemed ritually tainted for that context.