Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

जारजातापविद्धाद्यैर्यो नरः श्राद्धमाचरेत् । ब्राह्मणैस्तु न संदेहस्तच्छ्राद्धं व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

jārajātāpaviddhādyairyo naraḥ śrāddhamācaret | brāhmaṇaistu na saṃdehastacchrāddhaṃ vyarthatāṃ vrajet

Translation

যদি কোনো মানুহে জাৰজাত, অপবিদ্ধ আদি লোকৰ দ্বাৰা শ্ৰাদ্ধ কৰায়, তেন্তে—সন্দেহ নাই—ব্ৰাহ্মণ থাকিলেও সেই শ্ৰাদ্ধ নিশ্চিতভাৱে নিষ্ফল হয়।

Word by Word

• जारजातापविद्धाद्यैः: by those such as illegitimate-born, abandoned, etc.
• जारजातापविद्धाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जारजात + अपविद्ध + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: समासः: (जारजाताः अपविद्धाः) आदयः येषां ते (बहुवचन-समूहवाचक); तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (समूह)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आचरेत्: should perform
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणैः: by Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

• न: no / not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• संदेहः: doubt
• संदेहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (श्राद्धस्य)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• व्यर्थताम्: futility / uselessness
• व्यर्थताम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यर्थता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• व्रजेत्: would go / would become
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (continuation of discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary scene: a householder is about to delegate śrāddha to a dubious agent; an elder/ācārya stops him, pointing to the proper brāhmaṇas and the śrāddha altar, indicating that impurity nullifies the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual duty toward the ancestors must be carried out through dharmically qualified persons; violation of eligibility undermines the rite’s efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, though the verse is a general dharma rule.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not perform śrāddha through disqualified persons (e.g., jārajāta, āpaviddha); otherwise the śrāddha yields no result.