Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

यश्चैवास्तमिते सूर्ये भुंक्ते च श्राद्धकृन्नरः । व्यर्थतां याति तच्छ्राद्धं तस्माद्भुंजीत नो निशि

Transliteration

yaścaivāstamite sūrye bhuṃkte ca śrāddhakṛnnaraḥ | vyarthatāṃ yāti tacchrāddhaṃ tasmādbhuṃjīta no niśi

Translation

シュラーダ（Śrāddha）を行う者が日没後に食すれば、そのシュラーダは無果となる。ゆえに夜に食してはならない。

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• अस्तमिते: when (it is) set
• अस्तमिते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्तमित (कृदन्त; √अस् + अस्तम् + क्त)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (past passive participle)

• सूर्ये: in/when the sun
• सूर्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• भुङ्क्ते: eats
• भुङ्क्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• श्राद्धकृत्: one who performs śrāddha
• श्राद्धकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + √कृ (धातु) (कृदन्त; कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धं करोति इति)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• व्यर्थताम्: futility/ineffectiveness
• व्यर्थताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यर्थता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• याति: goes/comes to
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचन-रूपेण निपातवत् (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that reason')

• भुञ्जीत: should eat
• भुञ्जीत: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• निशि: at night
• निशि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (instructor) to Ānarta (king) — inferred from the Śrāddha-kalpa dialogue flow

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General injunction to the śrāddha-performer; framed with address to a ruler in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary scene: the Sun near the horizon; a śrāddha performer hastens to complete offerings and meal before dusk; the contrast of daylight sanctity versus the inauspiciousness of night-eating is implied.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper timing is part of dharma: rites for the ancestors must be done within prescribed solar limits to retain their efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not eat after sunset during Śrāddha; avoid night-eating so the rite does not lose its merit.