Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

ऊषरे वापि तं सस्यं तुषाणां कण्डनं कृतम् । कुलाचारसमोपेतांस्तस्माच्छ्राद्धे नियोजयेत्

Transliteration

ūṣare vāpi taṃ sasyaṃ tuṣāṇāṃ kaṇḍanaṃ kṛtam | kulācārasamopetāṃstasmācchrāddhe niyojayet

Translation

De même que le grain né sur une terre stérile n’est qu’une balle pilée, ainsi les rites deviennent vides sans juste mesure. C’est pourquoi, pour le Śrāddha, il faut choisir ceux qui sont pourvus des bonnes coutumes de leur lignée.

Word by Word

• ऊषरे: in barren soil
• ऊषरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊषर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘in barren land’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम् (disjunctive particle) ‘or’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः; ‘even/also’

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘that’ (referring to sasyaṃ)

• सस्यम्: crop
• सस्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘crop/grain’

• तुषाणाम्: of husks
• तुषाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘of husks/chaff’

• कण्डनम्: threshing
• कण्डनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्डन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘pounding/threshing’

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; ‘done/made’ (predicate)

• कुलाचारसमोपेतान्: those endowed with proper family conduct
• कुलाचारसमोपेतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुलाचार + समुपेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (कुलाचारैः समुपेताः) ‘endowed with family customs’

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः; ‘therefore’

• श्राद्धे: in the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘in/at śrāddha’

• नियोजयेत्: should appoint
• नियोजयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+युज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; ‘should appoint/engage’

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice continuing Śrāddha eligibility criteria)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpaśārdūla) in the discourse thread

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-panel metaphor: on one side, barren saline land with thin stalks and husk-pounding; on the other, a proper śrāddha assembly with disciplined brāhmaṇas seated in pairs, kuśa grass and water vessels arranged neatly.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Kulācāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without living dharmic tradition and conduct, ritual becomes empty—like processing husks instead of nourishing grain.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it offers general Śrāddha guidance within a tīrtha-oriented discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Engage in Śrāddha those who possess kulācāra—established, righteous family conduct and ritual propriety.