Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

उदयार्थं न मे यज्ञैः कार्यं किंचिन्न चापरैः । श्राद्धदानादिकैः कृत्यैः संजातैर्दर्यितं विना

Transliteration

udayārthaṃ na me yajñaiḥ kāryaṃ kiṃcinna cāparaiḥ | śrāddhadānādikaiḥ kṛtyaiḥ saṃjātairdaryitaṃ vinā

Translation

Pour mon lever (udaya), je n’ai nul besoin de sacrifices ni d’autres rites—tels que le śrāddha et les dons—accomplis dans le monde ; ma course se poursuit sans être contrainte par de tels actes.

Word by Word

• उदयार्थम्: for (my) rising
• उदयार्थम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उदय + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; द्वितीया-अर्थे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः ‘for the purpose of rising’ (उदयस्य अर्थम्)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध

• मे: for me / my
• मे: Sambandha/Genitive (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘my’

• यज्ञैः: by sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण ‘by sacrifices’

• कार्यम्: need/requirement
• कार्यम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय ‘need/requirement’

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किञ्चित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘anything’

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय

• अपरैः: by other (means)
• अपरैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण ‘by other (rites)’

• श्राद्धदानादिकैः: by śrāddha, gifts, etc.
• श्राद्धदानादिकैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + दान + आदि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वः (श्राद्धं च दानं च ...); करण ‘by śrāddha, gifts, etc.’

• कृत्यैः: by obligatory rites
• कृत्यैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण ‘by obligatory acts’

• संजातैः: arisen
• संजातैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+जन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘arisen/occurred’ (कृत्यैः सह विशेषण)

• दर्यितम्: torn/cleft
• दर्यितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण ‘torn/cleft’ (पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, ‘without’

Speaker

Unspecified (context: statement about the Sun’s autonomy from human ritual acts)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas/assembly and the addressed woman (contextually)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant solar deity (or cosmic figure) speaks calmly, gesturing outward to the sky’s fixed path; below, miniature scenes of yajña, śrāddha, and dāna occur, shown as respectful offerings rather than levers controlling the heavens.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Śrāddha
• Dāna
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic functions (like the Sun’s rising) follow divine order; rites are meritorious for the doer but do not coerce the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicitly named in this verse; it supports the chapter’s broader tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña, śrāddha, and dāna are mentioned as examples of rites, but the verse does not command them—rather it comments on their relation to udaya.