Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

स्नानदानजपश्राद्धहोमादिषु महाफलाः । त्रेताद्याः क्रमशः प्रोक्ताः कालाः संक्रांतिपूर्वकाः । नैतेषु विद्यते विघ्नं दत्तस्याक्षयसंज्ञिताः

Transliteration

snānadānajapaśrāddhahomādiṣu mahāphalāḥ | tretādyāḥ kramaśaḥ proktāḥ kālāḥ saṃkrāṃtipūrvakāḥ | naiteṣu vidyate vighnaṃ dattasyākṣayasaṃjñitāḥ

Translation

സ്നാനം, ദാനം, ജപം, ശ്രാദ്ധം, ഹോമം മുതലായവയിൽ—സംക്രാന്തി-പൂർവകമായി ‘ത്രേതാ’ മുതലായ ക്രമത്തിൽ പ്രസ്താവിച്ച ഈ കാലങ്ങൾ മഹാഫലം നൽകുന്നു. ഇവയിൽ വിഘ്നമില്ല; അപ്പോൾ നൽകിയ ദാനം ‘അക്ഷയ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्नानदानजपश्राद्धहोमादिषु: in (acts like) bathing, giving, japa, śrāddha, homa, etc.
• स्नानदानजपश्राद्धहोमादिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + जप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + होम (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (…आदि-शब्देन सह), ‘…आदि-षु’ = ‘…आदिषु’ (locative plural)

• महाफलाः: greatly fruitful
• महाफलाः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाफल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कालाḥ इत्यस्य)

• त्रेताद्याः: beginning with the Tretā (yuga)
• त्रेताद्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘त्रेता-आद्य’ = ‘beginning with Tretā’; विशेषणम् (कालाḥ)

• क्रमशः: in order, successively
• क्रमशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रमशस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• प्रोक्ताः: (have been) declared
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, PPP); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘have been declared’

• कालाः: times/periods
• कालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• संक्रांतिपूर्वकाः: preceded by saṅkrānti (solar ingress)
• संक्रांतिपूर्वकाः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्रान्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘संक्रान्ति-पूर्वक’ = ‘preceded by saṅkrānti’; विशेषणम् (कालाḥ)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• एतेषु: in these (times/occasions)
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गे (सामान्यतः), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; ‘in these’

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; ‘exists/is found’

• विघ्नम्: obstacle
• विघ्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• दत्तस्य: of the given (gift/act)
• दत्तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘दत्त’; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे सन्दर्भानुसार; ‘of what is given’

• अक्षयसंज्ञिताः: called ‘imperishable’
• अक्षयसंज्ञिताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (प्रातिपदिक; √ज्ञा/संज्ञा-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘अक्षय-संज्ञित’ = ‘called imperishable’; विशेषणम् (कालाḥ/फलाः इत्यर्थे)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (contextual; addressing the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence tableau at a river-ghāṭa: devotees bathe, then give alms, then sit for japa; a householder performs śrāddha with piṇḍa and tarpaṇa; a priest tends a small homa fire—above, the Sun marks saṃkrānti; the atmosphere is ‘nirvighna’ and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃkrānti
• Śrāddha
• Homa
• Japa
• Dāna
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharmic acts align with sanctified time, their spiritual fruit becomes steady and ‘akṣaya’, unhindered by obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is primarily about sacred timing; the site-framework is the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It recommends performing snāna, dāna, japa, śrāddha, and homa in saṃkrānti-connected auspicious periods, describing them as high-fruit and obstacle-free.