Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

मंत्रक्रियाभ्यां यत्किचिद्रात्रौ दत्तं हुतं तथा । सक्रांतिसोमपर्वभ्यां व्यति रिक्तं तु कुत्सितम्

Transliteration

maṃtrakriyābhyāṃ yatkicidrātrau dattaṃ hutaṃ tathā | sakrāṃtisomaparvabhyāṃ vyati riktaṃ tu kutsitam

Translation

മന്ത്രക്രിയകളോടെ രാത്രിയിൽ എന്തെങ്കിലും ദാനം ചെയ്യുകയോ ഹോമം നടത്തുകയോ ചെയ്താൽ—അത് സംക്രാന്തിയും സോമപർവ്വവും എന്ന അവസരങ്ങൾക്കു പുറത്തായാൽ—അത് തീർച്ചയായും നിന്ദ്യമായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

• mantra-kriyābhyām: by mantra and ritual action
• mantra-kriyābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन (Feminine, Instr., Dual)

• yat: whatever
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Relative pronoun; Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• kicit: anything at all
• kicit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kicit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite: 'anything/something')

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Feminine, Loc., Singular)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Qualifier of 'yat kicit'/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (दा धातु) → datta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• hutam: offered into fire
• hutam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Qualifier/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √hu (हु धातु) → huta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकार (and likewise/also)

• sa-krānti-soma-parvabhyām: from (the occasions of) Saṅkrānti and Soma-festival days
• sa-krānti-soma-parvabhyām: Karana/Apadana (Standard of exclusion/करण-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + krānti (प्रातिपदिक) + soma (प्रातिपदिक) + parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन (Neuter, Instr., Dual)

• vyatiriktam: excluded, apart from
• vyatiriktam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ati-√ric (रिच् धातु) → vyatirikta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थक/विरोध (but/indeed)

• kutsitam: blameworthy, censured
• kutsitam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kuts (कुत्स् धातु) → kutsita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rākṣasa (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night ritual by firelight: a priest chants mantras, offerings poised over flames; a calendar/astral cue shows it is not Saṅkrānti or Soma-parvan; the atmosphere carries a sense of ‘kutsita’ (censure), with watchful unseen forces.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Mantra
• Kriyā
• Homa
• Saṅkrānti
• Soma-parvan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing is part of right action; even mantra-backed rites can become blameworthy when performed at improper times.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader narrative context is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid night-time giving/oblations except on sanctioned occasions such as Saṅkrānti and Soma-parvan.