Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

शनैश्चरेण संयुक्ता त्वमावास्या यदा भवेत् । श्राद्धं प्रकुर्वीत स्नानदानपुरः सरम्

Transliteration

śanaiścareṇa saṃyuktā tvamāvāsyā yadā bhavet | śrāddhaṃ prakurvīta snānadānapuraḥ saram

Translation

当阿摩婆娑（Amāvāsyā，新月日）与善尼艾施恰罗（Śanaiścara，土星）相合之时，应行施行祭祖供养之礼（śrāddha），并以沐浴与布施为先导。

Word by Word

• śanaiścareṇa: with/by Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• śanaiścareṇa: Karana (Instrument/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śanaiścara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• saṃyuktā: joined/combined
• saṃyuktā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ + yuj (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'amāvāsyā' इति पदस्य विशेषण (Feminine Nom. Sg.)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: emphasis)

• amāvāsyā: new-moon day
• amāvāsyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (Temporal relation/कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• bhavet: occurs/should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• prakurvīta: should perform
• prakurvīta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd person singular)

• snāna-dāna-puraḥsaram: preceded by bathing and charity
• snāna-dāna-puraḥsaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक) + puraḥsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'śrāddham' इति पदस्य विशेषण; समासार्थः: स्नानं दानं च पुरः (पूर्वं) यस्य तत् (with bathing and giving as preliminaries)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a sacred waterbody performs snāna at dawn, offers dāna to a brāhmaṇa, then conducts śrāddha with kuśa grass and water libations; Śani’s austere presence is symbolized in the sky or as a small icon.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Śanaiścara (Śani)
• Śrāddha
• Snāna
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is strengthened by proper timing: certain celestial combinations intensify the efficacy of ancestral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues the Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama context, though this verse emphasizes the calendrical condition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Amāvāsyā joined with Śani, after snāna and dāna.