Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अत्राभावात्ततो भूयो न सस्यं संप्रयच्छति । ब्राह्मणेभ्यः समुद्दिश्य पितरं स्वं यथा पुरा

Transliteration

atrābhāvāttato bhūyo na sasyaṃ saṃprayacchati | brāhmaṇebhyaḥ samuddiśya pitaraṃ svaṃ yathā purā

Translation

Karena ketiadaan hujan di sana, tanah tidak lagi menghasilkan panen. Maka seperti dahulu, ia mempersembahkan sedekah kepada para brāhmaṇa, dengan niat ditujukan bagi ayahnya di alam Pitṛ.

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/आधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• abhāvāt: due to absence, from lack
• abhāvāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source-हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (हेतु/अपादान), एकवचन; ablative singular masculine

• tataḥ: therefore, then
• tataḥ: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/then)

• bhūyaḥ: again, further
• bhūyaḥ: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरर्थक (again/further)

• na: not
• na: Avyaya (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• sasyam: crop, grain
• sasyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• saṃprayacchati: yields, gives forth
• saṃprayacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada; 3rd sg present; उपसर्ग: सम्+प्र

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन; dative plural masculine

• samuddiśya: having intended/dedicated
• samuddiśya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल; having dedicated/aimed (towards)

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

• svam: one's own
• svam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; विशेषण (पितरम्)

• yathā: as, just like
• yathā: Avyaya (Comparative/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as, just as)

• purā: formerly, earlier
• purā: Avyaya (Temporal/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, facing barren fields, performs a solemn offering: brāhmaṇas seated on kuśa mats receive food and gifts; the king’s saṅkalpa is directed to his father among the Pitṛs.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇas
• pitṛ (father/ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in scarcity, dharma continues through pitṛ-tarpaṇa and dāna—sustaining the bond between descendants and ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it belongs to a broader tīrtha-focused chapter in Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering/dedicating gifts to brāhmaṇas with the intention of benefiting one’s father/ancestors (pitṛ-uddeśa dāna).