Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

यश्चैतत्पठते नित्यं शृणुयाद्वा प्रभक्तितः । न स्यात्तस्य कुलच्छेदः कदाचिदपि भूतले

Transliteration

yaścaitatpaṭhate nityaṃ śṛṇuyādvā prabhaktitaḥ | na syāttasya kulacchedaḥ kadācidapi bhūtale

Translation

Wer dies täglich rezitiert oder es in tiefer Hingabe anhört, dessen Geschlechterlinie wird zu keiner Zeit auf Erden jemals abreißen.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• etat: this (text/teaching)
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• paṭhate: reads, recites
• paṭhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nityam: daily, always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative)

• śṛṇuyāt: should hear
• śṛṇuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vā: or
• vā: Samuccaya (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• prabhaktitaḥ: out of great devotion
• prabhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kula-cchedaḥ: cutting off of lineage
• kula-cchedaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + ccheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kulasya cchedaḥ)

• kadācit: ever, at any time
• kadācit: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (particle: even)

• bhūtale: on earth
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled ṛṣis/brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household or āśrama scene: a devotee recites from a manuscript daily while family members listen; an unseen protective aura encircles the lineage—symbolized by an unbroken lamp-flame or a continuous sacred thread.

Characters & Entities

• Paṭhana (recitation)
• Śravaṇa (hearing)
• Kula (lineage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion expressed through recitation or attentive listening is said to safeguard household continuity and welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a general phalaśruti within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative, not a site-specific praise line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-paṭhana (daily recitation) or śravaṇa (hearing) of the sacred passage with prabhakti (great devotion).