Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

उच्छिष्टसन्निधौ पश्चात्पितृवेदिं समाचरेत् । पितृविप्रासनस्थानां नोच्छिष्टं द्विजसन्निधौ

Transliteration

ucchiṣṭasannidhau paścātpitṛvediṃ samācaret | pitṛviprāsanasthānāṃ nocchiṣṭaṃ dvijasannidhau

Translation

Danach, in der Nähe, wo sich die Speisereste befinden, vollziehe man das Ritual der Pitṛ-Vedi, des Ahnenaltars. Doch in Gegenwart der Brāhmaṇas sollen keine Reste nahe bei den Sitzen/Plätzen der Pitṛs und der Brāhmaṇas liegen.

Word by Word

• उच्छिष्ट-सन्निधौ: in the vicinity of leftovers/impurity
• उच्छिष्ट-सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (उच्छिष्टस्य सन्निधिः)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (afterwards)

• पितृ-वेदीम्: the ancestral altar
• पितृ-वेदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां वेदी)

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + √चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितृ-विप्र-आसन-स्थानाम्: of the seats/places for the ancestors and Brahmins
• पितृ-विप्र-आसन-स्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आसन (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां विप्राणां च आसनस्थानानि)

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

• उच्छिष्टम्: leftovers/impure remains
• उच्छिष्टम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निषेध्य-वस्तु (leftover/impure food)

• द्विज-सन्निधौ: in the presence of Brahmins
• द्विज-सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (द्विजस्य सन्निधिः)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (ritual instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual space divided: brāhmaṇas seated on clean mats; a separate corner where leaf-plates and remnants are kept; the performer prepares a small pitṛ-altar while attendants clear the area to preserve purity.

Characters & Entities

• pitṛ-vedi
• ucchiṣṭa
• dvija/vipra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and decorum protect sacred space—śrāddha requires careful separation of offerings, seats, and remnants.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is identified in this verse; it is a procedural purity rule within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the pitṛ-vedi after the meal context, but do not keep ucchiṣṭa (remnants) near brāhmaṇas or their seating area.