Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कृतमात्रे ततः श्राद्धे दिव्य रूपधरः पुमान् । विमानवरमारूढो विदूरथमथाऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

kṛtamātre tataḥ śrāddhe divya rūpadharaḥ pumān | vimānavaramārūḍho vidūrathamathā'bravīt

Translation

ശ്രാദ്ധം പൂർത്തിയായ ഉടനെ ദിവ്യരൂപം ധരിച്ച ഒരു പുരുഷൻ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ വിമാനം കയറി, തുടർന്ന് വിദൂരഥനോട് സംസാരിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• कृतमात्रे: when it had just been done
• कृतमात्रे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृतं मात्रं यस्मिन् = ‘just done’)

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: सम्बन्ध/कालसूचक (Discourse/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्-अर्थे (then/thereafter)

• श्राद्धे: in the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दिव्य: divine
• दिव्य: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• रूपधरः: one bearing a form
• रूपधरः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धृ-धातु, ण्वुल्/अच्-प्रत्यय; ‘धारक’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (रूपं धरति)

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विमानवरम्: a splendid aerial car
• विमानवरम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (वरं विमानम्)

• आरूढः: having mounted
• आरूढः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु) → आरूढ (क्त-प्रत्यय, भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकृदन्तः (past participle)

• विदूरथम्: Vidūratha (name)
• विदूरथम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदूरथ (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तर-अर्थे (then/now)

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• अब्रवीत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Divine-form being (the relieved departed spirit), speaking to Vidūratha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛtaghna-preta-tīrtha (kūpikā)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied standard frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a sacred well-side, the śrāddha has just concluded; a formerly unseen being manifests as a radiant, divine-form man, ascending an ornate vimāna and addressing King Vidūratha with gratitude.

Characters & Entities

• Vidūratha
• Śrāddha
• Vimāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper śrāddha performed at a potent tīrtha yields swift, visible fruit—upliftment from suffering to a divine state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The plakṣa-tree kūpikā tīrtha where śrāddha is said to bear immediate transformative results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Completion of śrāddha is the trigger for the promised fruit; the narrative underscores correct performance leading to immediate phala.