Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

त्रिणाचिकेतस्त्रिमधुस्त्रिसुपर्णः षडंगवित् । यश्च विद्याव्रतस्नातो धर्मद्रोणस्य पाठकः

Transliteration

triṇāciketastrimadhustrisuparṇaḥ ṣaḍaṃgavit | yaśca vidyāvratasnāto dharmadroṇasya pāṭhakaḥ

Translation

Für das śrāddha sind zu rühmen: die in triṇāciketa, trimadhu und trisuparṇa bewandert sind; der Kenner der sechs Vedāṅgas; wer nach dem Gelübde des heiligen Lernens das rituelle Bad vollzogen hat; ebenso der Rezitator/Lehrer des Dharmadroṇa.

Word by Word

• triṇāciketaḥ: one who has performed the three Nāciketa rites/fires
• triṇāciketaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + nāciketa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (threefold nāciketa-fire/rite performer)

• trimadhuḥ: one connected with the three ‘madhu’ (a Vedic triad)
• trimadhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + madhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः

• trisuparṇaḥ: knower/performer of the ‘three Suparṇa’ (Vedic triad)
• trisuparṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + suparṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः

• ṣaḍaṃgavit: knower of the six Vedāṅgas
• ṣaḍaṃgavit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ + aṅga + vit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (knower of six limbs/vedāṅgas)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• vidyāvratasnātaḥ: one who has completed the student’s vow/ceremonial bath of learning
• vidyāvratasnātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā + vrata + snāta (कृदन्त; √snā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (vidyā-vrata-snāta = one who has bathed/been initiated after the vow of learning); भूतकृदन्त

• dharmadroṇasya: of Dharmadroṇa
• dharmadroṇasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + droṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (name/title: Dharmadroṇa)

• pāṭhakaḥ: reciter/teacher
• pāṭhakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṭhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha pavilion near a sacred waterbody: the yajamāna respectfully invites learned Brāhmaṇas bearing palm-leaf texts; subtle iconography of Vedāṅgas and Vedic fires in the background; pitṛs implied as receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Vedāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites are ideally supported by Vedic learning, disciplined vows, and mastery of auxiliary sciences, which are treated as sanctifying qualifications.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; the focus is on qualifications for śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A positive prescription listing the learned and vow-complete Brāhmaṇas considered most suitable to be invited for śrāddha.