Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 208

Devanagari script

पितृपक्षे सदा चैको गयायां श्राद्धमाचरेत् । अन्यः षडक्षरं मन्त्रं जपेत्ताभ्यां समं फलम्

Transliteration

pitṛpakṣe sadā caiko gayāyāṃ śrāddhamācaret | anyaḥ ṣaḍakṣaraṃ mantraṃ japettābhyāṃ samaṃ phalam

Translation

ある者は祖霊月（ピトリパクシャ）に常にガヤーでシュラーダを修し、別の者は六字の真言を誦する—その果報は等しい。

Word by Word

• पितृपक्षे: in the fortnight of the ancestors (Pitṛpakṣa)
• पितृपक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; काल/पर्ववाचक

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), नित्यत्ववाचक

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

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आचरेत्: should perform
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• षडक्षरम्: six-syllabled
• षडक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ताभ्याम्: with/by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene: on one side, a householder at Gayā offering piṇḍas during Pitṛpakṣa; on the other, a devotee doing ṣaḍakṣara japa—both framed by equal radiance of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Pitṛpakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-japa with devotion is portrayed as capable of matching the merit of famed ancestral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā, renowned for śrāddha offerings during Pitṛpakṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at Gayā during Pitṛpakṣa, or alternatively undertake ṣaḍakṣara-mantra japa for comparable merit.