Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

श्राद्धेन द्वादशोत्थेन तेभ्यो दत्तेन पार्थिव । तस्मान्मुक्तिं प्रगच्छन्ति यन्त्राख्यनरकात्स्फुटम्

Transliteration

śrāddhena dvādaśotthena tebhyo dattena pārthiva | tasmānmuktiṃ pragacchanti yantrākhyanarakātsphuṭam

Translation

Ô roi, par l’offrande qui leur est donnée lors du douzième śrāddha, ils obtiennent manifestement la délivrance de l’enfer nommé Yantra.

Word by Word

• श्राद्धेन: by the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• द्वादशोत्थेन: arising on the twelfth (day)
• द्वादशोत्थेन: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—श्राद्धस्य; ‘द्वादशाहोत्थ’ (arising on the 12th day)

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• दत्तेन: given (as an offering)
• दत्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘दत्तेन (by what is given)’—श्राद्धेन सह करणत्वे

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: from that (hell)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• मुक्तिम्: release, liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रगच्छन्ति: attain, go to
• प्रगच्छन्ति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• यन्त्राख्यनरकात्: from the hell called ‘Yantra’
• यन्त्राख्यनरकात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यन्त्र + आख्य + नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘यन्त्र-आख्यः नरकः’ इति (named ‘Yantra’)

• स्फुटम्: clearly, certainly
• स्फुटम्: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्फुटम् (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — ‘स्पष्टतया/निश्चितम्’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king addressed by a sage; the sage explains that the twelfth śrāddha offering frees souls from the mechanized hell; visualized as chains breaking and light rising.

Characters & Entities

• Yantra (Naraka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is presented as a potent act of dharma that can rescue the departed from specific hellish sufferings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in the verse; the focus is on śrāddha efficacy and deliverance from Yantra-naraka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The twelfth śrāddha offering (dvādaśottha śrāddha) is prescribed as granting release from Yantra-naraka.