Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

यः सूत्रं पूर्वपिण्डेषु सततं विनियोजयेत् । स विरोधं चरेत्तेषां त्रोटनाच्च परस्परम्

Transliteration

yaḥ sūtraṃ pūrvapiṇḍeṣu satataṃ viniyojayet | sa virodhaṃ caretteṣāṃ troṭanācca parasparam

Translation

مَن يُداوم على وضع الخيط الطقسي على كُرات القُربان (بيṇḍا) السابقة على التوالي يُحدث بينها تعارضًا متبادلاً، ويؤول الأمر إلى الانقطاع والتفرّق بعضها عن بعض.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun, Nominative singular

• sūtraṃ: thread
• sūtraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• pūrva-piṇḍeṣu: among the earlier piṇḍas
• pūrva-piṇḍeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (पूर्वाः पिण्डाः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• satataṃ: constantly
• satataṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-नपुंसक एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्); adverb ‘continually’

• viniyojayet: should attach/apply
• viniyojayet: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; वि+नि+योजयति (णिच् causative); should apply/attach

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Demonstrative pronoun

• virodhaṃ: conflict; obstruction
• virodhaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• caret: would incur
• caret: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should incur/undergo

• teṣāṃ: of those (piṇḍas)
• teṣāṃ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• troṭanāt: due to snapping/breaking
• troṭanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: troṭana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from breaking/snapping’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• parasparam: mutually; with each other
• parasparam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-द्वितीया एकवचन; परस्पर-भावे क्रियाविशेषणम् (reciprocal adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: the performer is shown about to run one thread across multiple piṇḍas; an elder priest gestures to stop, indicating separate threads; in a symbolic overlay, shadowy figures of ancestors appear discordant when the thread is continuous, then calm when separated.

Characters & Entities

• sūtra
• piṇḍa
• virodha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even subtle ritual distinctions symbolize harmony among ancestors; careless merging of dedications is portrayed as causing ‘virodha’ (disharmony).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned; the verse is a technical śrāddha injunction within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not run one continuous thread across earlier piṇḍas; assign threads separately to avoid ritual ‘conflict’ and disruption.