Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

जलेनापि च यः श्राद्धं शाकेनापि करोति वाः । दर्शस्य पितरस्तृप्तिं यांति पापं प्रण श्यति

Transliteration

jalenāpi ca yaḥ śrāddhaṃ śākenāpi karoti vāḥ | darśasya pitarastṛptiṃ yāṃti pāpaṃ praṇa śyati

Translation

ദർശ-അമാവാസ്യാദിനത്തിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും വെറും ജലത്താലോ ലളിതമായ ശാകത്താലോ ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ, പിതൃഗണങ്ങൾ തൃപ്തരാകും; പാപം നശിക്കും।

Word by Word

• जलेन: with water
• जलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ (even/also)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

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

• शाकेन: with vegetables/greens
• शाकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ

• करोति: does; performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• दर्शस्य: of the Darśa (new-moon day)
• दर्शस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यान्ति: attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अत्र कर्मवत्/कर्तृवत् प्रयोगे)

• प्र-नश्यति: perishes completely
• प्र-नश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः प्र-

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble householder offers a small vessel of water and a leaf-bowl of simple greens before a pitṛ-altar; subtle Pitṛs appear content, while a dark haze of ‘pāpa’ dissipates.

Characters & Entities

• Pitaras
• Darśa (new moon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincerity and proper timing matter: even simple offerings on amāvāsyā can satisfy ancestors and purify the doer.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The emphasis is on the sacred occasion (Darśa/amāvāsyā) within a tirtha-mahātmya framework; no particular site is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśa-day Śrāddha may be done even with minimal materials (water or vegetables), yielding pitṛ satisfaction and destruction of sin.