Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन दोषानेतान्परित्यजेत् । श्राद्धभुग्यजमानश्च विशेषेण महीपते

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena doṣānetānparityajet | śrāddhabhugyajamānaśca viśeṣeṇa mahīpate

Translation

Darum, o Herr der Erde, soll man mit aller Anstrengung diese Fehler ablegen — besonders der Śrāddha-Essende und der Yajamāna (der Vollziehende).

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण निपातवत्; हेत्वर्थ (therefore/from that reason)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करण (instrument: with all effort)

• दोषान्: faults
• दोषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्म

• एतान्: these
• एतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (these)

• परित्यजेत्: should abandon
• परित्यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• श्राद्धभुक्: one who eats (at) śrāddha
• श्राद्धभुक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + भुज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्विप्/क्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘भुक्’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धं भुङ्क्ते’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष; कर्ता (one who eats at śrāddha)

• यजमानः: the sacrificer (patron)
• यजमानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यजमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Sambandha (Adverbial instrument)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभाव (especially)

• महीपते: O king (lord of the earth)
• महीपते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मही + पति)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (addressing a king: mahīpate)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpati (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage addressing a king, pointing to a list of ‘doṣas’; beside them, a yajamāna and a brāhmaṇa śrāddha-bhuk stand with folded hands, signifying resolve to avoid faults.

Characters & Entities

• Yajamāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved by vigilant self-correction; ritual participants must actively avoid known impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The counsel belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative environment of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Both the Śrāddha participant (eater) and the performer (yajamāna) must carefully avoid the enumerated doṣas.