Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

न कश्चिद्यजनं चक्रे न दानं न च तर्पणम् । देवतानां पितॄणां च मनुष्याणां विशेषतः

Transliteration

na kaścidyajanaṃ cakre na dānaṃ na ca tarpaṇam | devatānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ ca manuṣyāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ

Translation

« Nul n’accomplit le yajña (culte), ni le dāna (aumône), ni le tarpaṇa (offrande d’apaisement) — ni pour les dieux, ni pour les ancêtres, et surtout pas pour les hommes. »

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• kaścit: anyone
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• yajanam: sacrifice, worship (act of yajña)
• yajanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• cakre: did / performed
• cakre: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद-रूपम् (classical usage)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• dānam: gift, charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tarpaṇam: offering of satisfaction (libation/oblations)
• tarpaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• devatānām: of the deities
• devatānām: Sambandha (Recipient-domain/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Recipient-domain/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• manuṣyāṇām: of human beings
• manuṣyāṇām: Sambandha (Recipient-domain/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (continuation of the naraka/Yama-context complaint)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied higher authority (Brahmā; explicit next verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A barren village/kingdom scene: extinguished sacrificial fires, empty altars, neglected ancestor rites; devas and pitṛs appear faint and unsatisfied; humans look impoverished in spirit—signaling dharma’s ebb.

Characters & Entities

• Devatā
• Pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of yajña, dāna, and tarpaṇa signals dharma’s decline; Purāṇas stress these as stabilizers of cosmic and social order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly tied to Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, where tīrtha-prabhāva overrides even such ritual neglect.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajana (worship), dāna (charity), and tarpaṇa (offerings to devas and pitṛs) are referenced as neglected duties.