Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

यश्चैतत्कीर्तयेच्छ्राद्धे क्रियमाणे नृपोत्तम । विप्राणां भोक्त्तुकामानां तच्छ्राद्धं त्वक्षयं भवेत्

Transliteration

yaścaitatkīrtayecchrāddhe kriyamāṇe nṛpottama | viprāṇāṃ bhokttukāmānāṃ tacchrāddhaṃ tvakṣayaṃ bhavet

Translation

Ô le meilleur des rois, quiconque récite ceci pendant l’accomplissement du Śrāddha—au moment où les brāhmanes vont prendre part au repas—rend ce Śrāddha impérissable quant à sa récompense.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; relative pronoun = 'who'

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एतत्: this (matter)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; object of kīrtayet

• कीर्तयेत्: should recite/proclaim
• कीर्तयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; 'should proclaim/recite'

• श्राद्धे: in the śrāddha
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्; 'in/at the śrāddha'

• क्रियमाणे: while being performed
• क्रियमाणे: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रियमाण (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) + शानच्, कर्मणि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त = 'while being performed' (agreeing with श्राद्धे)

• नृपोत्तम: O best king
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्; 'O best of kings'

• विप्राणाम्: of brāhmaṇas
• विप्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम्; 'of the brāhmaṇas'

• भोक्तुकामानाम्: of those wishing to eat
• भोक्तुकामानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोक्तुकाम (प्रातिपदिक; भोक्तु (तुमुनन्त from √भुज्) + काम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम्; 'of those desiring to eat' (qualifying विप्राणाम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; demonstrative adjective qualifying श्राद्धम्

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; subject of bhavet

• तु: indeed/then
• तु: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (particle)

• अक्षयम्: inexhaustible
• अक्षयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; predicate adjective of श्राद्धम्

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; 'would become'

Speaker

Narrator addressing a king (explicit nṛpottama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpottama (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas seated with leaf-plates; the officiant or patron recites a verse just before they begin eating; the king watches as the sage instructs him on the exact moment of recitation.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Pitṛs (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred recitation (kīrtana) during ritual amplifies and stabilizes merit, making the rite’s fruit akṣaya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya framework in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite this passage during the ongoing Śrāddha, particularly at the time Brāhmaṇas are about to eat.