Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

देवि देव्यै तथा देव्या एवं मातुश्च कीर्तयेत् । प्रथमा च चतुर्थी च षष्ठी स्याच्छ्राद्धसिद्धये

Transliteration

devi devyai tathā devyā evaṃ mātuśca kīrtayet | prathamā ca caturthī ca ṣaṣṭhī syācchrāddhasiddhaye

Translation

Ebenso soll man «devi», «devyai» und «devyā» aussprechen—und ebenso für die Mutter. Damit das śrāddha erfolgreich vollendet werde, sind die Formen des ersten, vierten und sechsten Kasus zu verwenden.

Word by Word

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन

• देव्यै: to/for the goddess
• देव्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb)

• देव्याः: of the goddess
• देव्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/निश्चयवाचक (thus; in this manner)

• मातुः: of the mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• कीर्तयेत्: should recite/mention
• कीर्तयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (धातु; √कीर्तय्/√कीर्त् caus.)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रथमा: the nominative (first case)
• प्रथमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रथमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• चतुर्थी: the dative (fourth case)
• चतुर्थी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• षष्ठी: the genitive (sixth case)
• षष्ठी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु; √अस्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• श्राद्धसिद्धये: for the successful completion of śrāddha
• श्राद्धसिद्धये: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्धसिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक; श्राद्ध + सिद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (dative of purpose)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha altar with three highlighted inscriptions (prathamā, caturthī, ṣaṣṭhī) as the priest recites ‘devī/devyai/devyā’ and ‘mātā/mātre/mātuḥ’, indicating the grammatical cases with hand gestures.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• mother (mātṛ)
• śrāddha
• vibhakti (case-endings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is upheld through disciplined ritual speech—precision is itself a devotional offering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is named; the verse gives śrāddha language principles within the māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

For śrāddha-siddhi, employ the 1st, 4th, and 6th case-forms (nominative, dative, genitive) in the required invocations.