Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पितरस्तस्य नेच्छंति तद्वर्षं श्राद्धसत्क्रियाम् । पुण्यातिशयभीतेन पिंडदानं निराकृतम्

Transliteration

pitarastasya necchaṃti tadvarṣaṃ śrāddhasatkriyām | puṇyātiśayabhītena piṃḍadānaṃ nirākṛtam

Translation

അവന്റെ പിതൃകൾ ആ വർഷത്തെ ശ്രാദ്ധസത്ക്രിയ സ്വീകരിക്കുകയില്ല; പുണ്യം അതിയായി വർധിക്കുമെന്ന ഭയത്താൽ പിണ്ഡദാനം നിരാകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

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

• इच्छन्ति: desire/accept
• इच्छन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्/इच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘वर्षम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वर्षम्: year
• वर्षम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालवाचक

• श्राद्धसत्क्रियाम्: proper śrāddha performance
• श्राद्धसत्क्रियाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य सत्क्रिया)

• पुण्यातिशयभीतेन: out of fear of excessive merit
• पुण्यातिशयभीतेन: Karana (करण/Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिशय (प्रातिपदिक) + भीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यस्य अतिशयात् भीतः)

• पिण्डदानम्: offering of rice-balls
• पिण्डदानम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पिण्डस्य दानम्)

• निराकृतम्: is rejected/forbidden
• निराकृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + कृ (धातु) → निराकृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘पिण्डदानम्’ इत्यस्य विधेयम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; narrative explanation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting where the offered piṇḍas remain untouched; pitṛs appear in the subtle realm with palms raised in refusal, conveying ‘puṇyātiśaya-bhaya’; the yajamāna looks astonished, priest consults palm-leaf scripture.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha must align with correct dharmic conditions; otherwise even the intended recipients (pitṛs) are said to refuse the rite’s fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it discusses acceptance/rejection of śrāddha by the pitṛs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references piṇḍa-dāna within śrāddha and notes circumstances where it is considered rejected, implying the need for correct observance.