Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

येषां यच्छन्ति ते नैव किंचित्किञ्चित्स्ववंशजाः । क्षुत्पिपासाकुला स्ते च दृश्यन्ते बहुदुःखिताः

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ yacchanti te naiva kiṃcitkiñcitsvavaṃśajāḥ | kṣutpipāsākulā ste ca dṛśyante bahuduḥkhitāḥ

Translation

എന്നാൽ ആര്ക്കായി അവരുടെ സ്വവംശജർ ഒന്നും അർപ്പിക്കാതിരിക്കുമോ, അവർ വിശപ്പും ദാഹവും കൊണ്ട് വ്യാകുലരായി അത്യന്തം ദുഃഖിതരായി കാണപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

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

• यच्छन्ति: give
• यच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु; यच्छति-आदेश)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they (descendants)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (context: object 'anything'); अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite)

• किञ्चित्: anything whatsoever
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• स्ववंशजाः: their own descendants
• स्ववंशजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + वंशज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• क्षुत्पिपासाकुलाः: afflicted by hunger and thirst
• क्षुत्पिपासाकुलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुत् + पिपासा + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक); क्षुत् (hunger) + पिपासा (thirst) + आकुल (afflicted)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'te')

• ते: they (those pitṛs)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'are seen')

• बहुदुःखिताः: greatly distressed
• बहुदुःखिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु + दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक); बहु (much) + दुःखित (afflicted)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (Purāṇic dialogue context; likely a sage/narrator addressing a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast scene: pitṛs appear emaciated and parched, hands outstretched, set against a dimmer celestial background—an admonitory vision of neglect.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Śrāddha
• Descendants (svavaṃśajāḥ)
• Hunger and thirst (kṣut-pipāsā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of ancestral rites is portrayed as causing real deprivation to Pitṛs, urging descendants to uphold śrāddha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it provides the ethical urgency behind tīrtha-based śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly prescribes giving śrāddha offerings; failing to do so leaves ancestors in distress.