Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्राद्धे श्रद्धा यतो मूलं तेन श्राद्धं प्रकीर्तितम् । तत्तस्मिन्क्रियमाणे तु न किंचिद्व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

śrāddhe śraddhā yato mūlaṃ tena śrāddhaṃ prakīrtitam | tattasminkriyamāṇe tu na kiṃcidvyarthatāṃ vrajet

Translation

Weil der Glaube (śraddhā) die Wurzel des śrāddha-Ritus ist, heißt er darum „śrāddha“. Wird er in diesem Geist vollzogen, so geht darin nichts vergeblich verloren.

Word by Word

• श्राद्धे: in/at the śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• श्रद्धा: faith
• श्रद्धा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यतः: because/for which reason
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: 'because/whence')

• मूलम्: root, basis
• मूलम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/has been declared
• प्रकीर्तितम्: Kriyā (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) → प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anuvāda (Resumptive/अनुवाद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that (rite)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• क्रियमाणे: while being performed
• क्रियमाणे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → क्रियमाण (कृदन्त, शानच्/मान-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative absolute)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

• किंचित्: anything
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितपरिमाण (indefinite)

• व्यर्थताम्: to futility/in vain
• व्यर्थताम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यर्थता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• व्रजेत्: would go/should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up devotional moment: a householder offers piṇḍa and water with folded hands, eyes lowered in faith; subtle aura around the offering indicating ‘nothing goes to waste’.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Śraddhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is not merely procedure; its living core is śraddhā—reverent faith—which ensures the rite becomes spiritually fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is doctrinal; it appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya’s śrāddha teachings rather than praising a particular spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It emphasizes performing śrāddha with genuine śraddhā so that no part of the rite becomes fruitless.