Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यो वांछति पशून्मुख्यान्कुप्याकुप्यधनानि च । चतुर्थ्यां तेन कर्तव्यं श्राद्धं पितृप्रतुष्टये

Transliteration

yo vāṃchati paśūnmukhyānkupyākupyadhanāni ca | caturthyāṃ tena kartavyaṃ śrāddhaṃ pitṛpratuṣṭaye

Translation

Wer vorzügliches Vieh und Reichtum an Kostbarkeiten begehrt, sowohl dauerhafte als auch vergängliche, der soll am vierten Tage die Śrāddha vollziehen, zur völligen Zufriedenheit der Ahnen (Pitṛ).

Word by Word

• yaḥ: he who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

• vāṃchati: desires
• vāṃchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vāñch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• paśūn: animals/cattle
• paśūn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• mukhyān: chief/excellent
• mukhyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (paśūn इति विशेष्यस्य)

• kupya: movable (property)
• kupya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kupya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासाङ्ग (kupyākupya-)

• akupya: immovable (property)
• akupya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akupya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासाङ्ग (kupyākupya-)

• dhanāni: wealth/assets
• dhanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘kupya+akupya’ इति द्वन्द्वपूर्वपदसमासः, ततः ‘dhanāni’ इति विशेष्यं

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• caturthyām: on the fourth (tithi)
• caturthyām: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturthī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक (on the fourth lunar day)

• tena: by him/therefore
• tena: Kartr̥-sahakārī (Agent-associated/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अन्वादेश (by him/therefore)

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/passive necessity), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म/विधेयवाच्य (object of kartavyam)

• pitṛ-pratuṣṭaye: for the satisfaction of the ancestors
• pitṛ-pratuṣṭaye: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pratuṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pitṝṇāṃ pratuṣṭiḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic instruction; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pretapakṣa Caturthī śrāddha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Fourth-day śrāddha with symbols of prosperity: cattle in a nearby pen, granary jars, cloth bundles; the ritual foreground shows piṇḍas and brāhmaṇa-bhojana; ancestors depicted as receiving offerings with satisfaction.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral satisfaction (pitṛ-prīti) is emphasized as a dharmic foundation that supports stability and prosperity in household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excerpt does not name a particular tīrtha; it highlights the merit of śrāddha by tithi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Caturthī (fourth lunar day) with the intent of pleasing the Pitṛs.