Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

सर्वेषामेव श्राद्धानां श्रेष्ठं सांवत्सरं स्मृतम् । अहन्यहनि यच्छ्राद्धं नित्यं तत्परिकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

sarveṣāmeva śrāddhānāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ sāṃvatsaraṃ smṛtam | ahanyahani yacchrāddhaṃ nityaṃ tatparikīrtitam

Translation

সকলো শ্ৰাদ্ধৰ মাজত সাঁৱৎসৰ (বাৰ্ষিক) শ্ৰাদ্ধক শ্ৰেষ্ঠ বুলি স্মৃত। আৰু যি শ্ৰাদ্ধ দিনেদিনে কৰা হয়, তাক ‘নিত্য’ (দৈনিক) বুলি কোৱা হৈছে।

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• श्राद्धानाम्: of śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्रेष्ठम्: the best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Visheshya-Predicate (Predicative adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अतिशय-विशेषण

• सांवत्सरम्: the annual (śrāddha)
• सांवत्सरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

• अहनि: on a day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अहनि: on (each) day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (daily)

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

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

• नित्यम्: always/regularly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

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

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/declared
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु) → परिकीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa Māhātmya instructional tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (continued)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two scenes juxtaposed: an elaborate annual śrāddha with brāhmaṇa-bhojana and piṇḍa offerings; and a humble daily tarpaṇa at dawn by the water’s edge—both under the gaze of Somnātha’s sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Sāṃvatsara (annual śrāddha)
• Nitya (daily)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistent remembrance of ancestors culminates in the yearly rite; dharma values both steady daily offerings and the formal annual observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, placing śrāddha-dharma within the sanctified landscape of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It ranks the annual śrāddha as foremost and defines ‘nitya śrāddha’ as that which is done every day.