Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अपि प्रेतत्वमापन्नं नरके वा समाश्रितम् । उद्धरिष्यति स प्रेतमपि पापसमन्वितम्

Transliteration

api pretatvamāpannaṃ narake vā samāśritam | uddhariṣyati sa pretamapi pāpasamanvitam

Translation

“মৃতজন প্ৰেতত্ব লাভ কৰি থাকিলেও বা নৰকত আশ্ৰয় ল’লেও, সেই নৰে পাপভাৰাক্ৰান্ত প্ৰেতকো উদ্ধাৰ কৰিব।”

Word by Word

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (concessive/emphatic particle)

• preta-tvam: the state of being a preta (ghost)
• preta-tvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (तद्धित)
• Form: भाववाचक तद्धितान्त (abstract noun); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āpannam: fallen into/attained
• āpannam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āpanna (कृदन्त; √āp/pad with ā-; conventional āpanna from ā-√pad)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pretatvam)

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• samāśritam: residing in / having taken refuge in
• samāśritam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√śri (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pretatvam)

• uddhariṣyati: will rescue/lift up
• uddhariṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• pretam: the preta (departed spirit)
• pretam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/concessive)

• pāpa-samanvitam: endowed with sin
• pāpa-samanvitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त; sam-√anv-i)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (पापेन समन्वितः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pretam)

Speaker

Pitṛs (ancestors) (continuation of the śrāddha-fruit statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmahrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma (and future ritualists)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee’s śrāddha offerings at the hrada send a stream of light to a suffering preta and to a shadowed naraka realm; the spirit is lifted upward, shedding dark stains of pāpa.

Characters & Entities

• Preta
• Naraka
• Śrāddha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha performed with faith is framed as an act of rescue and compassion, capable of alleviating severe post-mortem suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The promised deliverance is linked to the Rāmahrada tīrtha context established in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The efficacy (phala) of śrāddha is emphasized: it can uplift even a preta or a being in naraka, despite sin.