Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

यो यज्ञो दक्षिणाहीनो यश्चाशौचयुतैः कृतः । ब्रह्मचर्यविहीनस्तु तत्फलं ते भविष्यति

Transliteration

yo yajño dakṣiṇāhīno yaścāśaucayutaiḥ kṛtaḥ | brahmacaryavihīnastu tatphalaṃ te bhaviṣyati

Translation

Tout yajña accompli sans la dakṣiṇā prescrite, ou exécuté par des personnes souillées d’aśauca (impureté rituelle), ou fait sans la discipline du brahmacarya, son fruit même, ô toi, te reviendra.

Word by Word

• यः: which
• यः: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun ‘which/that’

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (sacrifice)

• दक्षिणा-हीनः: lacking priestly fee
• दक्षिणा-हीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘devoid of dakṣiṇā (fees/gifts)’ (qualifying यज्ञः)

• यः: which
• यः: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun (second clause)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय — ‘and’

• अशौच-युतैः: by impure persons
• अशौच-युतैः: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशौच (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural; ‘by those possessed of impurity’ (qualifying agent of कृतः)

• कृतः: performed
• कृतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle ‘done/performed’ (agreeing with यज्ञः)

• ब्रह्मचर्य-विहीनः: lacking celibacy/discipline
• ब्रह्मचर्य-विहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘devoid of brahmacarya’ (qualifying implied यज्ञः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — ‘indeed/but’

• तत्-फलम्: that result
• तत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘that fruit/result’

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular ‘your’

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Future ‘will be’

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small yajña-śālā: fire altar, ṛtviks, ladles, and offerings; a symbolic contrast—one side shows proper dakṣiṇā being offered with reverence, the other side shows a shadowed figure marked by aśauca/indiscipline, indicating loss/transfer of fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Yajña
• Dakṣiṇā
• Aśauca
• Brahmacarya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts lacking dharmic supports—dakṣiṇā, purity, and self-restraint—lose sanctity and their merit can be misdirected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya within the Tīrthamāhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give proper dakṣiṇā, observe śauca (ritual purity), and maintain brahmacarya during yajña/śrāddha performance.