Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

अन्नं पर्युषितं यच्च तैलाक्तं वा प्रदीयते । सकेशं वा सनिंद्यं च तच्छ्राद्धं व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

annaṃ paryuṣitaṃ yacca tailāktaṃ vā pradīyate | sakeśaṃ vā saniṃdyaṃ ca tacchrāddhaṃ vyarthatāṃ vrajet

Translation

Wenn beim Śrāddha die dargebotene Speise abgestanden ist, oder mit Öl bestrichen, oder mit Haaren vermengt, oder in einem tadelnswert verunreinigten Zustand, dann wird dieses Śrāddha vergeblich.

Word by Word

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये ‘प्रदीयते’ कर्मरूपेण

• paryuṣitam: stale (kept overnight)
• paryuṣitam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-uṣ (उष् धातु) + paryuṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’/‘(तत्)’ सम्बन्धसूचक

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

• taila-aktam: smeared with oil
• taila-aktam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + añj (अञ्ज् धातु) + akta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तैलेन अक्तम्), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• pradīyate: is given/offered
• pradīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (दा धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• sa-keśam: with hair (in it)
• sa-keśam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/स- उपसर्गवत्) + keśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (केशैः सह), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• sa-nindyam: with something blameworthy/impure
• sa-nindyam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/स-) + nindya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (निन्द्येन/निन्द्यं सह), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

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

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ विशेषण

• śrāddham: the śrāddha
• śrāddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• vyarthatām: futility
• vyarthatām: Karma (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyarthatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vrajet: would become/go to
• vrajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (व्रज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Purāṇic Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kitchen-adjacent śrāddha setting: fresh steaming rice and simple sāttvika dishes are prepared; a servant discards stale/oily food; a careful householder inspects a leaf-plate to ensure no hair/impurity; brāhmaṇas wait in silence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offerings to the Pitṛs must be pure and respectful; negligence in purity makes the rite spiritually ineffective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as dharma-guidance within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the snippet itself does not name a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not offer stale food, oil-smeared items, or defiled food (e.g., with hair) in śrāddha.