Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

श्राद्धं च कार्यं विधिवत्पितृभ्यो नृपसत्तम । एवं कृते नृपश्रेष्ठ सर्वपापक्षयो भवेत्

Transliteration

śrāddhaṃ ca kāryaṃ vidhivatpitṛbhyo nṛpasattama | evaṃ kṛte nṛpaśreṣṭha sarvapāpakṣayo bhavet

Translation

ഹേ നൃപസത്തമാ! പിതൃകൾക്കായി വിധിപൂർവ്വം ശ്രാദ്ധം നിർവഹിക്കണം. ഇങ്ങനെ ചെയ്താൽ, ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, സർവ്വപാപക്ഷയം സംഭവിക്കും.

Word by Word

• श्राद्धम्: Śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म/विषय-रूपेण

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

• कार्यम्: to be done, obligatory
• कार्यम्: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत्प्रत्यय) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• विधिवत्: according to rule
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित) → विधिवत् (अव्ययवत् प्रयोग)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पितृभ्यः: to the ancestors
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), बहुवचन; सम्प्रदान (recipient)

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; सम्बोधनपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• कृते: when (this) is done
• कृते: Adhikarana (Locative circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्प्रत्यय) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले; लोके ‘कृते’ = ‘when it is done’ (locative absolute sense)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best king
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; सम्बोधनपद

• सर्वपापक्षयः: destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापक्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• भवेत्: would occur / should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (teacher/narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpasattama/nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king stands respectfully as a sage instructs him; on a riverbank altar, darbha, piṇḍa offerings, and water-libations are offered to the Pitṛs; the atmosphere is solemn and purificatory.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring the ancestors through proper śrāddha is portrayed as a powerful means of karmic purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in Revākhaṇḍa’s tīrtha environment (Revā/Narmadā region), where such rites yield great merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha for the Pitṛs strictly according to vidhi (proper procedure) to obtain sarvapāpa-kṣaya.