Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

वैश्वदेवविहीनं तु अशक्तावुदकेन तु । एकोद्दिष्टं तु यच्छ्राद्धं तन्नैमित्तिकमुच्यते

Transliteration

vaiśvadevavihīnaṃ tu aśaktāvudakena tu | ekoddiṣṭaṃ tu yacchrāddhaṃ tannaimittikamucyate

Translation

الشرادها (śrāddha) التي تُقام بلا تقدمة فايشفاديفا (Vaiśvadeva)، وإن عجز المرء فحتى بالماء وحده—أي شرادها إيكودّيشطا (ekoddiṣṭa) المخصَّصة لميتٍ واحد—تُسمّى «نايمِتِّيكا» (naimittika) أي العرضية بحسب المناسبة.

Word by Word

• वैश्वदेवविहीनम्: devoid of the vaiśvadeva (offering)
• वैश्वदेवविहीनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वदेव + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वैश्वदेवेन विहीनम् = devoid of vaiśvadeva offering)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात

• अशक्तौ: in inability/when unable
• अशक्तौ: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• उदकेन: with water
• उदकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• एकोद्दिष्टम्: intended for a single (departed person)
• एकोद्दिष्टम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + उद्दिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (एकं उद्दिष्टम् = intended for one)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश

• नैमित्तिकम्: occasional/causal (nām. naimittika)
• नैमित्तिकम्: Visheshya-Predicate (Predicative adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैमित्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa Māhātmya instructional tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at Prabhāsa performs ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha with a simple water vessel, kusa grass, and a focused saṅkalpa; elders/priests witness the restrained rite near a coastal tīrtha setting.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Vaiśvadeva
• Ekoddiṣṭa
• Naimittika
• Udaka (water offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma accommodates limitation: even simplified offerings, done with sincerity for a specific occasion, remain valid and meaningful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, implying that such rites—performed in the Prabhāsa sacred ambit—carry heightened sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It defines naimittika śrāddha as ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha done without Vaiśvadeva; if one lacks means, it may be performed with water offerings.