Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

यावन्न क्रियते श्राद्धं तस्मिंस्तीर्थे द्विजोत्तमाः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन मृतस्याहिप्रदंक्षणात् । श्राद्धं कार्यं प्रयत्नेन तस्मिंस्तीर्थेऽहिसंभवे

Transliteration

yāvanna kriyate śrāddhaṃ tasmiṃstīrthe dvijottamāḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena mṛtasyāhipradaṃkṣaṇāt | śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ prayatnena tasmiṃstīrthe'hisaṃbhave

Translation

O Beste der Zweimalgeborenen, solange das Shraddha an diesem heiligen Ort nicht vollzogen wird, gibt es keine Erlösung. Daher muss das Shraddha an diesem schlangenursprünglichen Tirtha gewissenhaft durchgeführt werden.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as/until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'as long as/until')

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (Negation)

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive/कर्मणि), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इति अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वः प्रयत्नः)

• मृतस्य: of the dead person
• मृतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle: 'dead')

• अहिप्रदंक्षणात्: from snake-bite
• अहिप्रदंक्षणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदंक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अहिना प्रदंक्षणम्)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Kriya (Predicate necessity/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ: 'to be done')

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन, सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहिसंभवे: in the case of snake-incident/origin
• अहिसंभवे: Adhikarana (Occasion/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि (प्रातिपदिक) + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अहेः संभवः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ahisambhava-tīrtha (as ‘tasmintīrthe… ahisambhave’)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daytime river/pond-side śrāddha: priests with darbha, sesame, water-pot; family offering piṇḍas; a nāga emblem marking the tīrtha’s identity; the preta-form dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijottama
• Śrāddha
• Ahi (serpent)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes timely remedial rites; a tīrtha is a compassionate mechanism for restoring spiritual order for the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

An ahi-saṃbhava (serpent-associated/serpent-origin) tīrtha central to this adhyāya, recommended for śrāddha in cases of serpent-caused death.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at the specified tīrtha for a person who died due to a serpent’s bite/strike, with full diligence.