Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

यद्यप्यश्रोत्रियं श्राद्धं यद्यप्युपहतं भवेत् । पक्षश्राद्धकृतं पुण्यं दिनेनैकेन लभ्यते

Transliteration

yadyapyaśrotriyaṃ śrāddhaṃ yadyapyupahataṃ bhavet | pakṣaśrāddhakṛtaṃ puṇyaṃ dinenaikena labhyate

Translation

Selbst wenn das Śrāddha für einen ungeeigneten Empfänger dargebracht wird, selbst wenn es irgendwie beeinträchtigt ist, wird hier das Verdienst eines ganzen vierzehntägigen Śrāddha an einem einzigen Tag erlangt.

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Discourse (condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय; शर्त (conditional)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; अपि-शब्दः ‘even/also’

• अश्रोत्रियम्: (done with) a non-śrotriya (unqualified priest)
• अश्रोत्रियम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-श्रोत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-रूप, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; श्राद्धम् इति विशेषणम्

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र ‘भवेत्’ इत्यस्य कर्तृ/विषयः

• यदि: if
• यदि: Discourse (condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय

• अपि: even
• अपि: Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• उपहतम्: spoiled; impaired
• उपहतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-हन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; श्राद्धम् इति विशेषणम्

• भवेत्: may be; might become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पक्षश्राद्धकृतम्: arising from śrāddha done for the fortnight
• पक्षश्राद्धकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पक्ष-श्राद्ध-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; पक्ष + श्राद्ध + कृत)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘कृत’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुण्यम् इति विशेषणम्; पक्षे श्राद्धं कृतम् इति तत्पुरुषः

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दिनेन: by (means of) a day; within a day
• दिनेन: Karana (Measure/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एकेन: one (single)
• एकेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; दिनेन इति विशेषणम्

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī–Samudra Saṅgama (Dvārakā)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim performs śrāddha offerings at the river-mouth where the Gomati meets the ocean; priests, darbha grass, piṇḍas, and libations; the sea as Varuṇa’s realm in the background; a sense of sacred efficiency—one day equaling a fortnight.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Aśrotriya
• Pitṛpakṣa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A highly sanctified tīrtha can compensate for human limitations, magnifying sincere ancestral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context is the Gomatī–Udadhisaṅgama tīrtha in Dvārakā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It emphasizes the extraordinary fruit of performing śrāddha at this tīrtha—even if the rite has customary defects.