Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सर्वे कामाः पुरः प्रोक्ता युष्माकं ये मया नृप । अमावास्यादिने श्राद्धात्तानाप्नोति न संश यः

Transliteration

sarve kāmāḥ puraḥ proktā yuṣmākaṃ ye mayā nṛpa | amāvāsyādine śrāddhāttānāpnoti na saṃśa yaḥ

Translation

O König, alle erstrebten Ziele, die ich dir zuvor verkündet habe, werden wahrlich erlangt, wenn am Tage der Amāvāsyā (Neumond) Śrāddha dargebracht wird; daran besteht kein Zweifel.

Word by Word

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• कामाः: desires/boons
• कामाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• पुरः: previously/beforehand
• पुरः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: previously/before)

• प्रोक्ताः: have been stated
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः: क्त (past passive participle) ‘प्रोक्त’; प्रथमा-बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग — कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘have been stated’

• युष्माकम्: of you (pl.)
• युष्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• ये: which
• ये: Anvaya-sambandha (Relative link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) — सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally/कर्ता-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• अमावास्या-दिने: on the new-moon day
• अमावास्या-दिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) — ‘अमावास्यायाः दिनम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• श्राद्धात्: from (performing) the śrāddha
• श्राद्धात्: Apadana (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• तान्: those (desires)
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• यः: which/that
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) — सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (deduced from immediate context of Adhyāya 220 dialogue; continuing instruction to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal patron listening to a sage’s instruction; night-sky of Amāvāsyā (dark moon) above a riverside/temple precinct; brāhmaṇas seated in a row being fed; offerings arranged neatly.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha performed on Amāvāsyā is affirmed as a powerful dharmic act that reliably yields the promised fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha section, framing Śrāddha within a sacred-geo devotional context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing Śrāddha specifically on the Amāvāsyā (new-moon) day.