Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तथा धर्मक्रियाः सर्वा मानुषाणामुदाहृताः । न प्रेतानां न देवानां नान्येषां मानुषं विना

Transliteration

tathā dharmakriyāḥ sarvā mānuṣāṇāmudāhṛtāḥ | na pretānāṃ na devānāṃ nānyeṣāṃ mānuṣaṃ vinā

Translation

Ebenso werden alle Handlungen des Dharma den Menschen zugesprochen. Nicht den Pretas, nicht den Göttern, noch anderen — allein die menschliche Verkörperung ist das Feld dharmischen Handelns.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (thus/so)

• धर्मक्रियाः: religious rites
• धर्मक्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य क्रियाः)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• मानुषाणाम्: of humans
• मानुषाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• उदाहृताः: have been prescribed/declared
• उदाहृताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + आ + हृ (धातु) → उदाहृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘have been declared’ (agreeing with क्रियाः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• प्रेतानाम्: of pretas
• प्रेतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• देवानाम्: of gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• अन्येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• मानुषम्: human (existence)
• मानुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘human (state/condition)’

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपदविभक्ति-नियामक-अव्यय; सहार्थे ‘without’, द्वितीयासह (takes accusative)

Speaker

Māṃsāda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm instructional tableau: the teacher enumerates beings—humans, pretas, devas—emphasizing that dharma-kriyā belongs to human embodiment; symbolic icons (human figure holding mala, preta as faint shadow, deva as radiant) appear as didactic emblems.

Characters & Entities

• mānuṣa (human)
• preta
• deva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is uniquely empowered for dharma and liberation-oriented action; it should not be wasted.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse provides a universal dharma principle often used to motivate tīrtha-yātrā and righteous practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it points to dharma-kriyā (rites, duties, vows) as human responsibilities, but it does not specify a particular ritual.