Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अस्माकं देहि येन स्यात्तृप्तिर्वर्षसमुद्भवा । प्रदत्ते वंशजैः श्राद्धे दीनानां त्वं दयां कुरु

Transliteration

asmākaṃ dehi yena syāttṛptirvarṣasamudbhavā | pradatte vaṃśajaiḥ śrāddhe dīnānāṃ tvaṃ dayāṃ kuru

Translation

„Gewähre uns, wodurch unsere Sättigung für das ganze Jahr erwachsen möge. Wenn unsere Nachkommen das Śrāddha darbringen, erweise uns Armen und Elenden dein Erbarmen.“

Word by Word

• asmākam: of us, for us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive Plural) सर्वनाम; ‘हमारा/हमारे’

• dehi: give (you should give)
• dehi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental Singular) नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; साधनार्थे ‘येन’ = by which

• syāt: may be, would become
• syāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tṛptiḥ: satisfaction, satiation
• tṛptiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative Singular)

• varṣa-samudbhavā: arising from the rains/annual (sustenance)
• varṣa-samudbhavā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; ‘तृप्तिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण; varṣāt samudbhavā = arising from rain/year

• pradatte: in (the) offered/given
• pradatte: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘प्रदत्त’ + सप्तमी-एकवचन नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘श्राद्धे’ इत्यस्य विशेषण: in the śrāddha that has been offered

• vaṃśajaiḥ: by descendants
• vaṃśajaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural)

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative Singular)

• dīnānām: of the poor/distressed
• dīnānām: Sambandha (Beneficiary/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive Plural)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative Singular) सर्वनाम

• dayām: compassion, mercy
• dayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• kuru: do, show
• kuru: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhūtas/pretas/piśācas etc. (petitioners), reported by Śrī Bhagavān

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The spirit-host, humbled, asks Śambhu for a boon: a means of year-long satisfaction through descendants’ śrāddha, and compassion for the wretched.

Characters & Entities

• Descendants (vaṃśaja)
• Śrāddha
• Compassion (dayā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Descendants have a dharmic duty to sustain the departed through śrāddha; compassion expressed through ritual becomes ongoing support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The adhyāya’s emphasis remains Gayā and its śrāddha power, though this verse highlights the need for descendant-offered rites generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering śrāddha by descendants is presented as the means that yields lasting (year-long) satisfaction to the afflicted departed.