Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यः सपिण्डीकृतं प्रेतं पृथक्पिण्डे नियोजयेत् । अकृतं तद्विजानीयात्पितृहा चोपजायते

Transliteration

yaḥ sapiṇḍīkṛtaṃ pretaṃ pṛthakpiṇḍe niyojayet | akṛtaṃ tadvijānīyātpitṛhā copajāyate

Translation

Wer einen Verstorbenen, der bereits zum sapiṇḍa gemacht wurde, einem getrennten piṇḍa zuweist, soll wissen: Das Ritual gilt, als wäre es nicht vollzogen; und er lädt die schwere Schuld auf sich, die Pitṛ (Ahnenväter) zu verraten.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सपिण्डीकृतम्: already made sapiṇḍa (merged with ancestors)
• सपिण्डीकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + piṇḍī-kṛta (प्रातिपदिक; from √kṛ)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘made into sapiṇḍa’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — qualifying ‘प्रेतम्’

• प्रेतम्: the departed spirit
• प्रेतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पृथक्पिण्डे: in a separate piṇḍa (ball offering)
• पृथक्पिण्डे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthak + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास (पृथक् + पिण्ड), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नियोजयेत्: should assign/place
• नियोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); णिच् (causative) ‘assign/place’

• अकृतम्: as not done/undone
• अकृतम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक; from √kṛ)
• Form: नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग ‘अ-’ (negation) + क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — predicate/object complement

• तत्: that (act)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विजानीयात्: should know/understand
• विजानीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + jñā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• पितृहा: a slayer of ancestors (pitṛ-han)
• पितृहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + han (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (पितॄन् हन्ति इति), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• उपजायते: arises/comes to be
• उपजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Householders/ritualists (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual scene where a separate piṇḍa plate is being set aside; the priest stops the act, and shadowy pitṛ figures appear displeased, indicating ‘akṛta’ (nullified) rite and moral gravity.

Characters & Entities

• sapiṇḍīkaraṇa
• piṇḍa
• pitṛhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Once the departed is integrated into the ancestral lineage, one must honor that status; violating it is a serious ethical and ritual offense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is part of general tīrtha-based dharma instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not offer a separate piṇḍa to one already sapiṇḍīkṛta; doing so renders the rite ineffective and is condemned as pitṛ-aparādha.