Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

दवे कर्मणि पित्र्ये वा सोमपाने विशेषतः । देशांतरगतो यस्तु श्राद्धं च कुरुते नरः । वैश्वानरपुरस्तेन कार्यं नान्यद्विजस्य च

Transliteration

dave karmaṇi pitrye vā somapāne viśeṣataḥ | deśāṃtaragato yastu śrāddhaṃ ca kurute naraḥ | vaiśvānarapurastena kāryaṃ nānyadvijasya ca

Translation

Bei einem dāna-Ritus (Gabe) oder bei Ahnenriten, besonders bei Soma-Trinkzeremonien: Wenn ein Mann in eine andere Gegend gegangen ist und dort śrāddha vollzieht, soll er zuerst den Ritus vor Vaiśvānara (Agni) darbringen; und keinen anderen, nicht vorgeschriebenen, Brāhmaṇa hinzuziehen.

Word by Word

• दवे: in/at Dava (place)
• दवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (locative of place)

• कर्मणि: in a rite/act
• कर्मणि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विषय/प्रसङ्गवाचक

• पित्र्ये: ancestral (pitṛ-related)
• पित्र्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पित्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘कर्मणि’)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• सोमपाने: in the Soma-drinking (rite)
• सोमपाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सोमस्य पानम्)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner/emphasis)

• देशांतरगतः: gone to another country/place
• देशांतरगतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देश + अन्तर + गत (गम् धातु, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘गत’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देशान्तरं गतः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयबोधक (but/indeed)

• श्राद्धम्: Śrāddha (ancestral offering)
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction ‘and’)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वैश्वानरपुरः: Vaiśvānara city/place
• वैश्वानरपुरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्वानर + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वैश्वानरस्य पुरम्)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणवाचक

• कार्यम्: (it) should be done / duty
• कार्यम्: Karta (Predicate-noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (कृ धातु, ण्यत्/कृदन्त; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (what is to be done)

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

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘anything else’

• द्विजस्य: of a Brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विजस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaiśvānara-pura (as invoked ritual locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpoत्तम (best of kings) implied by surrounding verses’ address

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler performs śrāddha in a foreign land: a small altar with sacred fire (Vaiśvānara), darbha, piṇḍas, and a carefully chosen brāhmaṇa seated with restraint; the landscape hints at a tīrtha settlement.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānara (Agni)
• Śrāddha
• Soma-pāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When performing rites away from one’s proper locale, additional safeguards (Agni/Vaiśvānara-first procedure) uphold ritual correctness and continuity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is framed within the Gayākūpī/tīrtha discourse but applies broadly to śrāddha performed while traveling (deśāntara-gata).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

If performing śrāddha in another region, perform the rite with Vaiśvānara (Agni) set foremost/first, and avoid engaging non-prescribed brāhmaṇas.