Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अथ तस्य महाशोकं स कृत्वा तदनंतरम् । चकार प्रेतकार्याणि निःशेषाणि प्रभक्तितः

Transliteration

atha tasya mahāśokaṃ sa kṛtvā tadanaṃtaram | cakāra pretakāryāṇi niḥśeṣāṇi prabhaktitaḥ

Translation

Daraufhin, von großem Kummer um ihn ergriffen, vollzog er sogleich alle dem Verstorbenen geschuldeten Totenriten (preta-kārya) restlos und in hingebungsvoller Ehrfurcht.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/thereupon
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• तस्य: of him/of that (person)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• महाशोकम्: great grief
• महाशोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाशोक (प्रातिपदिक; महा + शोक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• चकार: did/performed
• चकार: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन

• प्रेतकार्याणि: funeral rites/rites for the departed
• प्रेतकार्याणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतकार्य (प्रातिपदिक; प्रेत + कार्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन

• निःशेषाणि: all, without remainder
• निःशेषाणि: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying प्रेतकार्याणि)

• प्रभक्तितः: with due devotion/according to proper devotion
• प्रभक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); हेतौ/प्रकारे (by reason of/in the manner of)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; likely Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grieving yet composed householder completes preta-kārya: offering piṇḍa and water, with ritual vessels, kusa grass, and a small fire or śrāddha setting near a sacred waterbody.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Completing funerary obligations with devotion is a central expression of dharma and gratitude, sanctifying both the doer and the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya frame, implying sacred support for rites, but it does not name a particular tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of ‘pretakārya’—the complete set of post-death rites for the departed.