Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

एवं मया पुरा दत्तं पितॄ नुद्दिश्य तान्निजान् । नान्यत्किंचिन्मया दत्तं कदाचित्कस्यचिद्विजाः

Transliteration

evaṃ mayā purā dattaṃ pitṝ nuddiśya tānnijān | nānyatkiṃcinmayā dattaṃ kadācitkasyacidvijāḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ പൂർവ്വം എന്റെ തന്നെ പിതൃകളെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് ആ ദാനം അർപ്പിച്ചു. ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ ഒരിക്കലും ആര്ക്കും മറ്റൊന്നും നൽകിയിട്ടില്ല.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘thus’)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instr. Sg.)

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time: ‘formerly’)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (PPP, Neut., Nom/Acc Sg.)

• पितॄन्: ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masc., Acc. Pl.)

• उद्दिश्य: having dedicated (to)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya (Non-finite action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-दिश् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund: ‘having dedicated/intended’)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masc., Acc. Pl.)

• निजान्: one's own
• निजान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masc., Acc. Pl.; adjective)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (particle of negation)

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut., Acc. Sg.)

• किञ्चित्: something, anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (Neut., Acc. Sg.; indefinite)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instr. Sg.)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (PPP, Neut., Nom/Acc Sg.)

• कदाचित्: ever, at any time
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: ‘ever/at any time’)

• कस्यचित्: to someone (or of someone)
• कस्यचित्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (Dat./Gen. Sg.; ‘to/of someone’)

• द्विजाः: O brahmins
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (Masc., Nom. Pl.; used as address)

Speaker

First-person narrator addressing brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ / dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator confesses before seated brāhmaṇas: he once made a single offering solely for his Pitṛs, emphasizing the exclusivity of that act.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Dwijas (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse underscores unwavering pitṛ-bhakti—directing one’s giving with singular dedication to ancestral duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it remains within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna/food-offering explicitly dedicated (uddiśya) to one’s own pitṛs as part of śrāddha observance.