Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

मन्वादीरपि ते वच्मि ताः शृणुष्व नराधिप । पितॄणां वल्लभा नित्यं सर्वपापक्षयावहाः

Transliteration

manvādīrapi te vacmi tāḥ śṛṇuṣva narādhipa | pitṝṇāṃ vallabhā nityaṃ sarvapāpakṣayāvahāḥ

Translation

Auch von den heiligen Zeiten, Manv-ādi und anderen, will ich dir künden—höre, o Herrscher der Menschen. Sie sind den Pitṛs (Ahnen) stets lieb und bewirken die Vernichtung aller Sünden.

Word by Word

• मन्वादीः: the (times) beginning with Manu (Manvādīs)
• मन्वादीः: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘मन्वादि’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• ते: to you
• ते: सम्प्रदान (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वच्मि: I tell
• वच्मि: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ताः: those (them)
• ताः: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)
• नराधिप: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वल्लभाः: dear/beloved
• वल्लभाः: कर्ता/विशेष्य-भाव (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (for ‘ताः’ understood)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial accusative), नित्यं = always

• सर्वपापक्षयावहाः: bringing destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापक्षयावहाः: कर्ता/विशेष्य-भाव (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + क्षय + आवह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (‘सर्वपापक्षयम् आवहन्ति’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic calendar tableau: lunar fortnight arc, ‘Manv-ādi’ markers, Pitṛs receiving offerings with satisfaction; the king listens as the sage points to auspicious nodes, with a visual motif of sins dissolving like dark mist.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain sacred calendrical junctions are especially potent for Pitṛ offerings and for cleansing moral/ritual impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on auspicious occasions (kāla) rather than geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Manv-ādi and related auspicious occasions, said to be dear to the ancestors and sin-destroying.