Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

सर्वेषामेव श्राद्धानां श्रेष्ठं सांवत्सरं स्मृतम् । अहन्यहनि यच्छ्राद्धं नित्यं तत्परिकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

sarveṣāmeva śrāddhānāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ sāṃvatsaraṃ smṛtam | ahanyahani yacchrāddhaṃ nityaṃ tatparikīrtitam

Translation

Unter allen śrāddha gilt der jährliche (sāṃvatsara) śrāddha als der vorzüglichste. Und der śrāddha, der Tag für Tag vollzogen wird, wird als „nitya“ (täglich) bezeichnet.

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• श्राद्धानाम्: of śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्रेष्ठम्: the best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Visheshya-Predicate (Predicative adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अतिशय-विशेषण

• सांवत्सरम्: the annual (śrāddha)
• सांवत्सरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

• अहनि: on a day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अहनि: on (each) day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (daily)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always/regularly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश-प्रत्यय (demonstrative)

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/declared
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु) → परिकीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa Māhātmya instructional tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (continued)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two scenes juxtaposed: an elaborate annual śrāddha with brāhmaṇa-bhojana and piṇḍa offerings; and a humble daily tarpaṇa at dawn by the water’s edge—both under the gaze of Somnātha’s sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Sāṃvatsara (annual śrāddha)
• Nitya (daily)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistent remembrance of ancestors culminates in the yearly rite; dharma values both steady daily offerings and the formal annual observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, placing śrāddha-dharma within the sanctified landscape of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It ranks the annual śrāddha as foremost and defines ‘nitya śrāddha’ as that which is done every day.