What is the spiritual significance of the number six in Shashthi Shradh?

The sixth tithi (Shashthi) is governed by Karttikeya (Skanda), the son of Lord Shiva and commander of the divine army. In the context of Shradh, performing ancestral rites on Shashthi is believed to invoke Karttikeya’s protective energy for the departed soul. The Skanda Purana mentions that Shashthi tithi carries the energy of purification and protection — the departed soul receives divine safeguarding on their journey through the Pitru Loka (ancestral realm).