Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

स्वाहाकारः स्वधाकारः पञ्चयज्ञविधिर्नहि । स्नानं दानं जपो नास्ति सन्ध्यालोपव्यतिक्रमः । षण्मासं च तदा पार्थ लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियम्

Transliteration

svāhākāraḥ svadhākāraḥ pañcayajñavidhirnahi | snānaṃ dānaṃ japo nāsti sandhyālopavyatikramaḥ | ṣaṇmāsaṃ ca tadā pārtha luptapiṇḍodakakriyam

Translation

Es gab keinen Svāhā-Ruf, keinen Svadhā-Ruf und keine Einhaltung der fünf großen Opfer. Waschungen, Wohltätigkeit und Japa fehlten; die täglichen Sandhyā-Riten wurden verletzt und gingen verloren. Und dann, o Pārtha, wurden sechs Monate lang die Opfergaben von Piṇḍa und Wasser für die Vorfahren unterbrochen.

Word by Word

• स्वाहाकारः: the svāhā-utterance
• स्वाहाकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वाहा (अव्यय/मन्त्रपद) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन; ‘svāhā-utterance/formula’

• स्वधाकारः: the svadhā-utterance
• स्वधाकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधा (अव्यय/मन्त्रपद) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘svadhā-utterance’

• पञ्चयज्ञविधिः: the ordinance of the five daily sacrifices
• पञ्चयज्ञविधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘rule/observance of the five sacrifices’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन

• दानम्: giving/charity
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जपः: recitation (japa)
• जपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अस्ति: exists/is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सन्ध्यालोपव्यतिक्रमः: the violation (due to) omission of sandhyā rites
• सन्ध्यालोपव्यतिक्रमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक) + लोप (प्रातिपदिक) + व्यतिक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘transgression consisting in omission of sandhyā (twilight rites)’

• षण्मासम्: for six months
• षण्मासम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियम्: with piṇḍa and water rites discontinued
• लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुप्त (कृदन्त; लुप् धातु + क्त) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘having the piṇḍa-and-water rites lapsed’

Speaker

Narrator (addressing ‘Pārtha’ within the discourse; likely Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya as frame-speaker across this portion)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (explicitly addressed here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: silent homa fires, absent svāhā/svadhā calls, people skipping snāna and sandhyā, and ancestors waiting unappeased as piṇḍa and water offerings cease for months.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When cosmic and social order is disturbed, daily dharma—yajña, sandhyā, charity, japa, and pitṛ duties—collapses, harming both worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region remains the textual setting; this verse highlights dharma-practice rather than a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañca-mahāyajña, sandhyā rites, svāhā/svadhā offerings, and piṇḍodaka-kriyā are explicitly referenced.