Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

शक्रशक्र महाबाहो येषां श्राद्धं कृतं त्वया । प्रेतत्वे संस्थितानां च प्रेतत्वेन विवर्जिताः

Transliteration

śakraśakra mahābāho yeṣāṃ śrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ tvayā | pretatve saṃsthitānāṃ ca pretatvena vivarjitāḥ

Translation

“ഹേ ശക്രാ, ഹേ മഹാബാഹോ! നീ ആരുടെ നിമിത്തം ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്തുവോ, അവർ പ്രേതാവസ്ഥയിൽ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നാലും പ്രേതത്വത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തരായി।”

Word by Word

• शक्र: O Śakra
• शक्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• शक्र: O Śakra
• शक्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• महाबाहो: O mighty-armed one
• महाबाहो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कृतम्: performed
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Result state/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ इत्यस्य विधेयविशेषण

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent in passive sense)

• प्रेतत्वे: in the state of being a preta
• प्रेतत्वे: Adhikaraṇa (State/location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• संस्थितानाम्: of those who were situated/remaining
• संस्थितानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; ‘येषाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• प्रेतत्वेन: by/with preta-hood
• प्रेतत्वेन: Hetu/Karaṇa (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; हेतौ/करणे (by/with respect to)

• विवर्जिताः: freed from, deprived of
• विवर्जिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + वर्ज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → विवर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Aśarīriṇī vāk (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Śakra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sky-voice addresses Indra; faint, translucent pretas are shown being released—chains dissolving—transforming into serene, luminous forms moving upward.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha performed in a sanctified manner has power to relieve departed beings from the painful preta-condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā, renowned as the foremost place for pitṛ-śrāddha and deliverance from preta-status.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing śrāddha for the departed, especially for those believed to be in pretatva, to grant them upliftment.