Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यजमानो द्विजो वाथ ब्रह्मचर्यविवर्जितः । तच्छ्राद्धं ते मया दत्तं त्रिपात्रेण विवर्जितम्

Transliteration

yajamāno dvijo vātha brahmacaryavivarjitaḥ | tacchrāddhaṃ te mayā dattaṃ tripātreṇa vivarjitam

Translation

യജമാനൻ—ദ്വിജനായാലും മറ്റാരായാലും—ബ്രഹ്മചര്യനിയമം വിട്ടവനായാൽ, ത്രിപാത്രവിധാനം ഇല്ലാത്ത ആ ശ്രാദ്ധം ഞാൻ നിനക്കു നൽകിയതായിട്ടേ കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടൂ।

Word by Word

• yajamānaḥ: the sacrificer (patron)
• yajamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √yaj (यज् धातु) → yajamāna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Present participle; Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• dvijaḥ: a Brahmin / twice-born
• dvijaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• atha: then / also
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक/प्रसङ्गार्थक (then/also)

• brahmacarya-vivarjitaḥ: devoid of celibacy (not observing brahmacarya)
• brahmacarya-vivarjitaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject qualifier/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + vi-√vṛj (वृज् धातु) → vivarjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Past participle; Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Pronoun used adjectivally; Neuter, Acc., Singular)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Acc., Singular)

• te: to you / for you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी, एकवचन (Pronoun; Dat./Gen., Singular)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रितीया, एकवचन (Pronoun; Instrumental, Singular)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (दा धातु) → datta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past participle; Neuter, Acc., Singular)

• tri-pātreṇa: with a three-vessel set
• tri-pātreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Instr., Singular)

• vivarjitam: devoid of / lacking
• vivarjitam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√vṛj (वृज् धातु) → vivarjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past participle; Neuter, Acc., Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A rākṣasa (implied addressee: ‘to you’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yajamāna preparing for śrāddha appears distracted and undisciplined; the priest points to missing/incorrect ‘three-vessel’ setup; a rākṣasa figure symbolically receives the misdirected offering while pitṛs remain unappeased in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Yajamāna
• Dvija
• Brahmacarya
• Tripātra
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner discipline of the performer/sponsor is essential; without it, even formal rites lose their intended efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The sponsor should observe brahmacarya and follow proper śrāddha arrangements such as the tripātra protocol.