Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यो हस्ते चासनं दद्याच्चेद्दार्भं बुद्धिवर्जितः । पितरो नासने तत्र प्रकुर्वंति निवेशनम्

Transliteration

yo haste cāsanaṃ dadyācceddārbhaṃ buddhivarjitaḥ | pitaro nāsane tatra prakurvaṃti niveśanam

Translation

Si quelqu’un, dépourvu de juste discernement, remet dans la main le siège de darbha de façon fautive, alors les Pitṛs ne prennent pas place là sur ce siège.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• हस्ते: in the hand
• हस्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• आसनम्: seat
• आसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दद्यāt: should give
• दद्यāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक निपात (conditional particle)

• दार्भम्: made of darbha / darbha-related
• दार्भम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दार्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'दर्भसम्बन्धि/दर्भमय' इति विशेषण (आसनम्)

• बुद्धिवर्जितः: devoid of understanding
• बुद्धिवर्जितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त, √वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'वर्जित' = deprived; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बुद्ध्या वर्जितः)

• पितरः: the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• आसने: on the seat
• आसने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: they make/do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• निवेशनम्: sitting/settling (a seat-taking)
• निवेशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवेशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (king) addressed in surrounding verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: a performer seated on kuśa, a darbha-āsana laid out before an unseen pitṛ-presence; the act of incorrectly placing the darbha-seat into a hand is shown as a ritual misstep, with the pitṛs remaining unseated.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• darbha-āsana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires mindful correctness; careless ritual acts are portrayed as ineffective in reaching the intended spiritual recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tirtha-oriented chapter, but it teaches general śrāddha conduct rather than praising one named place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not incorrectly hand over the darbha seat; otherwise the Pitṛs are said not to ‘sit’ or accept that arrangement.