Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

यो यज्ञो दक्षिणाहीनो यश्चाशौचयुतैः कृतः । ब्रह्मचर्यविहीनस्तु तत्फलं ते भविष्यति

Transliteration

yo yajño dakṣiṇāhīno yaścāśaucayutaiḥ kṛtaḥ | brahmacaryavihīnastu tatphalaṃ te bhaviṣyati

Translation

Jedes yajña, das ohne die vorgeschriebene dakṣiṇā vollzogen wird, oder von durch aśauca (rituelle Unreinheit) Befleckten, oder ohne die Zucht des brahmacarya, dessen Frucht selbst, o Angesprochener, wird dir zufallen.

Word by Word

• यः: which
• यः: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun ‘which/that’

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (sacrifice)

• दक्षिणा-हीनः: lacking priestly fee
• दक्षिणा-हीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘devoid of dakṣiṇā (fees/gifts)’ (qualifying यज्ञः)

• यः: which
• यः: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun (second clause)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय — ‘and’

• अशौच-युतैः: by impure persons
• अशौच-युतैः: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशौच (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural; ‘by those possessed of impurity’ (qualifying agent of कृतः)

• कृतः: performed
• कृतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle ‘done/performed’ (agreeing with यज्ञः)

• ब्रह्मचर्य-विहीनः: lacking celibacy/discipline
• ब्रह्मचर्य-विहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘devoid of brahmacarya’ (qualifying implied यज्ञः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — ‘indeed/but’

• तत्-फलम्: that result
• तत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘that fruit/result’

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular ‘your’

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Future ‘will be’

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small yajña-śālā: fire altar, ṛtviks, ladles, and offerings; a symbolic contrast—one side shows proper dakṣiṇā being offered with reverence, the other side shows a shadowed figure marked by aśauca/indiscipline, indicating loss/transfer of fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Yajña
• Dakṣiṇā
• Aśauca
• Brahmacarya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts lacking dharmic supports—dakṣiṇā, purity, and self-restraint—lose sanctity and their merit can be misdirected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya within the Tīrthamāhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give proper dakṣiṇā, observe śauca (ritual purity), and maintain brahmacarya during yajña/śrāddha performance.