Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

गंगायां क्रियते श्राद्धं येषां नाम्ना स्वकैः सुतैः । ते विमानं समाश्रित्य प्रयांति नरकोपरि

Transliteration

gaṃgāyāṃ kriyate śrāddhaṃ yeṣāṃ nāmnā svakaiḥ sutaiḥ | te vimānaṃ samāśritya prayāṃti narakopari

Translation

Diejenigen, für die ihre eigenen Söhne im Gaṅgā das Śrāddha in ihrem Namen vollziehen—solche Seelen nehmen Zuflucht in einem himmlischen Vimāna und schreiten über die Hölle hinaus, hoch darüber hinweg.

Word by Word

• गंगायाम्: in the Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• नाम्ना: by (their) name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• स्वकैः: by their own
• स्वकैः: Karana (Agent/means in passive context)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सुतैः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सुतैः: by sons
• सुतैः: Karana (Agent/means in passive context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विमानम्: celestial car
• विमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to; having taken refuge in
• समाश्रित्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• प्रयान्ति: go; proceed
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• नरक: of hell
• नरक: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (genitive) एकवचन; उपरि इति पदेन सह सम्बन्धः

• उपरि: above
• उपरि: Adhikarana (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वसर्ग; अव्यय—स्थानवाचक, 'above')

Speaker

Bhīṣma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Gaṅgā ghat, sons perform śrāddha in the ancestor’s name; the departed is shown ascending in a radiant vimāna, passing above hell.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śrāddha
• Sons (suta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper ancestral rites performed at a great tīrtha, especially Gaṅgā, are portrayed as liberating and elevating for the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā—specifically the performance of Śrāddha at the Gaṅgā tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha performed by sons in the ancestor’s name at the Gaṅgā.