Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा सहस्राक्षो विश्वेदेवांस्ततः परम् । प्रोवाच ब्राह्मणान्सर्वान्विश्वेदेवैर्विना कृतम् । श्राद्धकर्म भवद्भिस्तु कार्यमन्यैश्च मानवैः

Transliteration

evamuktvā sahasrākṣo viśvedevāṃstataḥ param | provāca brāhmaṇānsarvānviśvedevairvinā kṛtam | śrāddhakarma bhavadbhistu kāryamanyaiśca mānavaiḥ

Translation

Nachdem Sahasrākṣa (Indra) so gesprochen hatte, wandte er sich weiter an die Viśvedevās und verkündete auch allen Brāhmaṇas: „Das śrāddha-Ritual soll von euch und von anderen Menschen vollzogen werden, doch soll es ohne (die gebührende Mitwirkung der) Viśvedevās geschehen.“

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘उक्त्वा’ = having said

• sahasrākṣaḥ: Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• sahasrākṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (सहस्रम् अक्षाणि यस्य) इन्द्रस्य नाम

• viśvedevān: the Viśvedevas
• viśvedevān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvedeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (thereafter/from there)

• param: further, next
• param: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग; ‘ततः परम्’ = thereafter/further

• provāca: said, addressed
• provāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘ब्राह्मणान्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• viśvedevaiḥ: with the Viśvedevas
• viśvedevaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Instrument/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvedeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Exclusion/वर्जन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वर्जनार्थक उपपद (without)

• kṛtam: done, performed
• kṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (भूतकर्मणि) कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कृतम्’ = done

• śrāddhakarma: the śrāddha ritual act
• śrāddhakarma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य कर्म)

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (honorific)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक; आदरार्थक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; आदरार्थक

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक निपात

• kāryam: should be done
• kāryam: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: अनीयर्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• anyaiḥ: by others
• anyaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘मानवैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• mānavaiḥ: by humans
• mānavaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sahasrākṣa (Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvedevāḥ and brāhmaṇas (direct); king/audience (indirect)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra (Sahasrākṣa) addresses Viśvedevās and then the brāhmaṇas, announcing that śrāddha is to be performed by humans but without Viśvedevā participation; the Viśvedevās appear pained or astonished.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Viśvedevāḥ
• Brāhmaṇa
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual efficacy depends on correct divine and priestly order; altering the ordained participants causes dharmic imbalance and sorrow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to a tīrtha-glorifying section, but this verse primarily explains śrāddha protocol rather than a single named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha is framed as a brāhmaṇa-led rite with specific deva-participation expectations; the verse highlights performance ‘vinā’ (without) Viśvedevās as a significant deviation.