Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 116

Devanagari script

तद्यास्यत्यखिलं व्यर्थं तथा भस्महुतं यथा । वैश्वदेवांतमासाद्य यश्चैनं पूजयिष्यति

Transliteration

tadyāsyatyakhilaṃ vyarthaṃ tathā bhasmahutaṃ yathā | vaiśvadevāṃtamāsādya yaścainaṃ pūjayiṣyati

Translation

سيغدو ذلك كلّه باطلاً تمامًا، كقُربانٍ يُسكب في الرماد. أمّا من يبلغ ختام شعيرة الفيشْوَديفا (Vaiśvadeva) ثم يعبده على الوجه اللائق… فعبادته هي الإتمام النافع.

Word by Word

• tat: that (thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yāsyati: will go/turn into
• yāsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या-धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• akhilam: entire, all
• akhilam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• vyartham: fruitless, vain
• vyartham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• bhasma-hutam: offering made into ashes / oblation to ashes
• bhasma-hutam: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक) + huta (हु-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भस्मनि/भस्मेन हुतम्)

• yathā: as, just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative particle)

• vaiśvadeva-antam: the end of the Vaiśvadeva rite
• vaiśvadeva-antam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvadeva (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वैश्वदेवस्य अन्तम्)

• āsādya: having reached/attained
• āsādya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√sad (आसद्-धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव (having reached)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• enam: this (him/it)
• enam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pūjayiṣyati: will worship
• pūjayiṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (पूज्-धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (with Brahmā and Viṣṇu prominent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at the end of the Vaiśvadeva rite turns from the fire-altar to a small shrine/stone icon, offering flowers and water; the contrast is shown between a grey ash-pit (futile offering) and a radiant deity receiving worship.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvadeva
• Pūjā
• Śrāddha
• Yajñapuruṣa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts without the ordained completion and worship become spiritually barren; proper conclusion safeguards merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse focuses on rite-procedure within tīrtha-māhātmya; it does not name a particular tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At the end of Vaiśvadeva, worship the presiding deity (implied Yajñapuruṣa); otherwise the śrāddha is deemed futile.