Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

जनकं स्वं परित्यज्य कथंचिन्नास्य दीयते । तस्याकृतेन श्राद्धेन न स्वल्पं पितृतो भयम्

Transliteration

janakaṃ svaṃ parityajya kathaṃcinnāsya dīyate | tasyākṛtena śrāddhena na svalpaṃ pitṛto bhayam

Translation

Jika seseorang mengabaikan ayah kandungnya dan dengan cara apa pun tidak memberikan apa-apa kepadanya, maka karena śrāddha yang ditinggalkan itu, rasa takut akan cela dan akibat dari para Pitṛ (leluhur) tidaklah kecil.

Word by Word

• जनकम्: father
• जनकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• स्वम्: one’s own
• स्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (own)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परित्यज्य (कृदन्त; √त्यज् (धातु) + परि; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• कथंचित्: somehow/at all
• कथंचित्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘somehow/at all’)

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

• अस्य: of him/of this (person)
• अस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि (passive)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अकृतेन: by (it) not being done
• अकृतेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकृत (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) ; क्त; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण (not performed)

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

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

• स्वल्पम्: small
• स्वल्पम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भयम् इति विशेषण

• पितृतः: from the father/ancestors
• पितृतः: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘from the father/ancestral side’

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at a tīrtha-bank stands with lowered head, empty-handed, while shadowy ancestral figures (pitaraḥ) appear behind, conveying the weight of neglected śrāddha; a priest points to ritual vessels (kuśa, piṇḍa, tila, water).

Characters & Entities

• janaka
• pitṛ
• śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring one’s father through śrāddha is a serious dharmic obligation; neglect fractures ancestral harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; the teaching belongs to the broader tīrtha-oriented śrāddha instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not omit śrāddha and offerings for one’s father; omission is warned to bring significant ancestral displeasure/consequence.