Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अथान्यैस्तापसैः प्रोक्तो रामः शस्त्रभृतां वरः । न प्रयच्छसि कस्मात्त्वं प्रेतपित्रे जलांजलिम्

Transliteration

athānyaistāpasaiḥ prokto rāmaḥ śastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | na prayacchasi kasmāttvaṃ pretapitre jalāṃjalim

Translation

Alors d'autres ascètes s'adressèrent à Rāma, le meilleur des porteurs d'armes : « Pourquoi n'offres-tu pas l'oblation d'eau à ton père défunt parmi les ancêtres ? »

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक

• अन्यैः: by other
• अन्यैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; तापसैः इति विशेषण

• तापसैः: by ascetics
• तापसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• प्रोक्तः: was addressed
• प्रोक्तः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having been spoken/addressed’

• रामः: Rama
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शस्त्र-भृताम्: of weapon-bearers
• शस्त्र-भृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन; ‘of weapon-bearers’

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; रामः इति विशेषण/उपाधि

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• प्रयच्छसि: you give
• प्रयच्छसि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम्/यच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कस्मात्: for what reason
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रेत-पित्रे: to (your) departed father
• प्रेत-पित्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; ‘to the departed father’

• जल-अञ्जलिम्: a water-offering (anjali)
• जल-अञ्जलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘a handful/oblation of water’

Speaker

Tāpasas (ascetics)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of ascetics confronts Rāma—armed, austere, and silent—asking why he withholds the water-oblation; the contrast between ritual softness (water offering) and martial identity (śastra-bhṛtām varaḥ) is central.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (Jamadagnija/Paraśurāma)
• Pitṛ (father/ancestor)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It foregrounds pitṛ-dharma: honoring one’s ancestors through prescribed offerings is a key duty, especially when discussed within a tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 67); the immediate snippet emphasizes the rite (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) more than naming a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering jalāñjali—water-libation—as pitṛ-tarpaṇa to a departed father/ancestor.