Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

कृत्वा भवति यज्ञान्यत्कृतकृत्यत्वमत्र तत् । स्यात्तस्य तत्पूर्वजानां येन ज्ञातमिदं पदम्

Transliteration

kṛtvā bhavati yajñānyatkṛtakṛtyatvamatra tat | syāttasya tatpūrvajānāṃ yena jñātamidaṃ padam

Translation

Wer dies vollbringt, erlangt den Zustand: „getan ist, was zu tun war“; als wären dadurch auch die anderen Opfer vollendet. Und auch seinen Vorfahren gereicht es zum Heil, weil dieser höchste Stand erkannt und verwirklicht wurde.

Word by Word

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यज्ञात्: from a sacrifice
• यज्ञात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Pratijna/Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (here: predicate/‘something else’)

• कृत-कृत्यत्वम्: the state of having accomplished one’s duty
• कृत-कृत्यत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (कृ-धातोः क्त, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक-संज्ञा (abstract noun)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्-पूर्वजानाम्: of his ancestors
• तत्-पूर्वजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• येन: by whom/whereby
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/करण (instrumental)

• ज्ञातम्: known/realized
• ज्ञातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदं (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• पदम्: abode/state
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker, serene after discipline, offers water (tarpaṇa) with cupped hands; behind him, faint ancestral figures appear relieved and luminous; symbolic yajña fires dim as the ‘inner sacrifice’ shines brighter.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña
• Pitṛs (forebears)
• Padam (supreme state)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Realization through disciplined dharma grants true fulfillment, equivalent to many sacrifices, and extends merit to one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse frames spiritual attainment as the highest ‘destination’ within tīrtha discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is to practice the described niyama/virtue-based discipline, considered equal to (or surpassing) multiple yajñas.