Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

ततो विलंबमकरोत्तदर्थं पाक शासनः । विश्वेदेवा यतः श्राद्धे पूज्याः प्रथममेव च

Transliteration

tato vilaṃbamakarottadarthaṃ pāka śāsanaḥ | viśvedevā yataḥ śrāddhe pūjyāḥ prathamameva ca

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് പാകശാസനൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) ആ കാരണത്താൽ കർമ്മം വൈകിപ്പിച്ചു; കാരണം ശ്രാദ്ധത്തിൽ വിശ്വേദേവന്മാർ ആദ്യം തന്നെ പൂജ്യരാണ്।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = thereafter/then

• vilambam: delay
• vilambam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vilamba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘विलम्बम्’

• akarot: made, caused
• akarot: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘अकरोत्’

• tadartham: for that purpose
• tadartham: Hetu (Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): ‘तस्य अर्थः’ → ‘तदर्थम्’; अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण — for that purpose

• pākaśāsanaḥ: Indra (the chastiser of Pāka)
• pākaśāsanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāka (प्रातिपदिक) + śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — इन्द्रः (पाकस्य शासकः)

• viśvedevāḥ: the Viśvedevas
• viśvedevāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśve (प्रातिपदिक) + devā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (viśve devāḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• yataḥ: because, since
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/कारणवाचक) — ‘यतः’ = because/since

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — ‘श्राद्धे’

• pūjyāḥ: worthy of worship
• pūjyāḥ: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √pūj)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययार्थ ‘पूज्य’ = to be worshipped); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘पूज्याः’

• prathamam: first
• prathamam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘प्रथमम्’ = first/firstly

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle) — ‘एव’ = indeed/only

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction) — ‘च’

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator in Tīrtha-māhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra (Pākaśāsana) pauses a śrāddha arrangement, indicating the primacy of Viśvedevas in the rite; brāhmaṇas and ritual vessels await the correct invocation.

Characters & Entities

• Pākaśāsana (Indra)
• Viśvedevas
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through correct sequence and reverence; proper ritual order is itself a form of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider Gayā tīrtha narrative continues, though this verse focuses on śrāddha procedure.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In śrāddha, Viśvedevas receive worship first (prathama-pūjā).