Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्नपि व्यतिक्रांते काले चांलिं गते रवौ । निराशाः पितरो दीनास्ततो यांति निजालयम्

Transliteration

tasminnapi vyatikrāṃte kāle cāṃliṃ gate ravau | nirāśāḥ pitaro dīnāstato yāṃti nijālayam

Translation

ആ സമയവും കഴിഞ്ഞ് സൂര്യൻ മുന്നോട്ട് നീങ്ങിയാൽ, പിതാക്കൾ നിരാശയും ദീനതയും കൊണ്ട് തങ്ങളുടെ നിജവാസത്തിലേക്ക് മടങ്ങിപ്പോകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• व्यतिक्रान्ते: when (it) has passed
• व्यतिक्रान्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अति + क्रम् (धातु) → व्यतिक्रान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); सति-सप्तमी

• काले: in time/when the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अंलिम्: Aṃli (a named sign/segment; textual reading)
• अंलिम्: Karma (Goal/object of motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंलि (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-शब्द)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine) अनुमान, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); राश्यन्तर-नामरूपेण (as a zodiacal/astral term)

• गते: when (he) has gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); रवौ इति सति-सप्तमी-सह

• रवौ: when the sun (is/has gone)
• रवौ: Adhikarana (Locative absolute base/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• निराशाः: hopeless
• निराशाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आशा (प्रातिपदिक) → निराश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निर्-उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)

• दीनाः: wretched, miserable
• दीनाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/काल-वाचक-अव्यय (thereupon/then)

• यान्ति: they go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• निजालयम्: to their own abode
• निजालयम्: Karma (Destination/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (निजः आलयः), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from continuity; addressing a king earlier)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ethereal pitṛs, faces downcast, drift away from a village threshold toward a distant luminous realm as the sun moves beyond the indicated zodiacal span; the home remains quiet, suggesting missed duty.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Ravi (Sun)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

There is a sacred opportunity-window for helping one’s ancestors; if ignored, the chance passes and the Pitṛs depart unsatisfied.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not let the prescribed period lapse; perform Śrāddha within the stated calendrical window.