Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

एकेनैव तु पाकेन मम चैतन्मतं स्मृतम् । अर्घपात्रं समादाय यत्प्रेतार्थं प्रकल्पितम्

Transliteration

ekenaiva tu pākena mama caitanmataṃ smṛtam | arghapātraṃ samādāya yatpretārthaṃ prakalpitam

Translation

Selon la tradition que je tiens pour juste, une seule cuisson doit être employée. Prenant le vase d’arghya préparé pour le preta, qu’on agisse ensuite selon ce dessein funéraire.

Word by Word

• एकेन: with one (single)
• एकेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘with one (cooking)’

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारणार्थक)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वयार्थक)

• पाकेन: by cooking/with the cooked preparation
• पाकेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; (genitive pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma/Topic (कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (demonstrative)

• मतम्: opinion/view
• मतम्: Karma/Topic (कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘opinion’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/declared
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘is remembered/declared’ (elliptic passive)

• अर्घपात्रम्: the argha-vessel
• अर्घपात्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + दा (धातु) → समादाय (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having taken’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक ‘which’

• प्रेतार्थम्: for the departed’s sake
• प्रेतार्थम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘for the sake of the preta’ (purpose)

• प्रकल्पितम्: prepared/arranged
• प्रकल्पितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कल्प् (धातु) → प्रकल्पित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya instructional tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King/royal listener (implied by surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dedicated ritual kitchen scene adjacent to a riverbank: one pot on a simple hearth, the performer holding an arghya-pātra marked for preta-kārya, with offerings arranged neatly.

Characters & Entities

• preta
• arghapātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites for the departed should be performed with disciplined simplicity and fidelity to prescribed procedure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context (general tīrtha-glorification); the specific site is not named in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use a single cooking/preparation and employ the arghya vessel specifically arranged for preta-related offerings.