Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

यद्रात्रित्रितयेनैव वटा शोकभवेन च । फलं संजायते तच्च जंबुना द्विजभोजनात्

Transliteration

yadrātritritayenaiva vaṭā śokabhavena ca | phalaṃ saṃjāyate tacca jaṃbunā dvijabhojanāt

Translation

Die geistige Frucht, die aus der dreinächtigen Observanz und aus dem aus Kummer geborenen Vaṭa‑Ritus (Banyan) entsteht—dieselbe Frucht wird erlangt, wenn man den Jambū‑Baum ehrt, indem man die Zweimalgeborenen (Brahmanen) speist.

Word by Word

• यत्: that (which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (correlative 'that which')

• रात्रि-त्रितयेन: by (a) three-night period
• रात्रि-त्रितयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (रात्रिणां त्रितयम्)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• वटात्: from the banyan (tree)
• वटात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• शोक-भवेन: by sorrow-born (means/condition)
• शोक-भवेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (शोकात् भवः/उत्पत्तिः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• संजायते: arises/is produced
• संजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (correlative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• जंबुना: by/with jambu (tree/fruit)
• जंबुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जंबु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• द्विज-भोजनात्: from feeding Brahmins
• द्विज-भोजनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (द्विजानां भोजनम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jambū-vṛkṣa (as sacred focus)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred Jambū tree is honored with water, flowers, and lamps; nearby brāhmaṇas are fed, while a symbolic panel shows ‘three nights’ observance and a banyan rite as parallel merits.

Characters & Entities

• Jambū (tree)
• Vaṭa (banyan)
• Dvija (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charitable hospitality—especially feeding brāhmaṇas—can equal the merit of difficult austerities when done in a tīrtha-oriented devotional frame.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter praises a tīrtha practice centered on the Jambū tree; the precise geographic tīrtha is not specified in this isolated verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed the twice-born (dvija-bhojana) in connection with Jambū-related worship to obtain great spiritual fruit.