Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

यः श्राद्धं वंशजैर्दत्तं परलोकगतो नृप । वांछते तेन कर्तव्यं षष्ठ्यां श्राद्धं विपश्चिता

Transliteration

yaḥ śrāddhaṃ vaṃśajairdattaṃ paralokagato nṛpa | vāṃchate tena kartavyaṃ ṣaṣṭhyāṃ śrāddhaṃ vipaścitā

Translation

O King, for one who has gone to the other world yet yearns for the Śrāddha offered by his descendants, the wise should perform the Śrāddha on the sixth day of Pretapakṣa.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: he who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• vaṃśajaiḥ: by descendants
• vaṃśajaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• dattam: given/offered
• dattam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + kta (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; śrāddham इति विशेषणम्

• paraloka-gataḥ: gone to the other world (departed)
• paraloka-gataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paraloka (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (गम्-धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः (paraloke gataḥ)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• vāṃchate: desires
• vāṃchate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vāñch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• tena: by him/therefore
• tena: Kartr̥-sahakārī (Agent-associated/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ṣaṣṭhyām: on the sixth (tithi)
• ṣaṣṭhyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तिथिवाचक (on the sixth tithi)

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

• vipaścitā: O wise one
• vipaścitā: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipaścit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; (पाठान्तर/रूपान्तर: vipaścit)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic instruction; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wise householder instructs a king: on Ṣaṣṭhī of Pitṛpakṣa, śrāddha is offered—piṇḍas on darbha, tilodaka poured, brāhmaṇas seated; subtle pitṛs receive the essence in the other world.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Descendants’ offerings are taught as meaningful support to the departed, reinforcing intergenerational duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa) in Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in the excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Ṣaṣṭhī (sixth lunar day) for the benefit of departed ancestors who depend upon descendants’ rites.