Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

मृतो नरो गतश्रीको मृतं राष्ट्रमराजकम् । मृतमश्रोत्रिये दानं मृतो यज्ञस्त्वदक्षिणः

Transliteration

mṛto naro gataśrīko mṛtaṃ rāṣṭramarājakam | mṛtamaśrotriye dānaṃ mṛto yajñastvadakṣiṇaḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട മനുഷ്യൻ മരിച്ചവനോടു തുല്യം; രാജാവില്ലാത്ത രാജ്യം പോലും മരിച്ചതു പോലെ. അശ്രോത്രിയനു നൽകിയ ദാനം മരിച്ചതുപോലെ; ദക്ഷിണയില്ലാത്ത യജ്ഞവും മരിച്ചതുപോലെ തന്നേ.

Word by Word

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘नरः’ इति विशेषणम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• गतश्रीकः: bereft of prosperity
• गतश्रीकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (गम्-धातु-कृदन्त) + श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + क (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (गता श्रीः यस्य = whose prosperity has gone)

• मृतम्: dead
• मृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘राष्ट्रम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• राष्ट्रम्: a kingdom/state
• राष्ट्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अराजकम्: without a king
• अराजकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + राजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (राजा नास्ति यस्य)

• मृतम्: dead/fruitless
• मृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘दानम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• अश्रोत्रिये: to a non-śrotriya (unlearned Brahmin)
• अश्रोत्रिये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ (नञ्) + श्रोत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन-रूप (प्रयोगे दत्तेः चतुर्थी अपेक्षा); नञ्-तत्पुरुष (श्रोत्रियो न)

• दानम्: a gift/charity
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• मृतः: dead/ineffective
• मृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘यज्ञः’ इति विशेषणम्

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• अदक्षिणः: without dakṣiṇā (fee)
• अदक्षिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (दक्षिणा न यस्य)

Speaker

Ānarta (contextual continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic tableau with four vignettes: (1) a destitute man, (2) a kingless realm with fallen banner, (3) a donor giving to an unqualified recipient turning away, (4) a yajña where priests stand unsatisfied—each labeled ‘mṛta’ in symbolic form.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣiṇā
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires proper order: prosperity sustains social life, kingship sustains the realm, and ritual charity must be rightly placed to bear fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it provides dharma-teaching within a tīrtha-centered chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It stresses that yajña should include dakṣiṇā and that dāna should be given to a qualified śrotriya for it to be spiritually effective.