Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

एतस्मात्कारणाद्राजन्पार्वणं न विधीयते । तस्मिन्नहनि संप्राप्ते व्यर्थं श्राद्धं भवेद्यतः

Transliteration

etasmātkāraṇādrājanpārvaṇaṃ na vidhīyate | tasminnahani saṃprāpte vyarthaṃ śrāddhaṃ bhavedyataḥ

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ! ഇക്കാരണത്താൽ പാർവണശ്രാദ്ധം വിധിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടില്ല; എന്തെന്നാൽ ആ ദിവസം വന്നെത്തുമ്പോൾ ചെയ്യുന്ന പാർവണശ്രാദ്ധം വ്യർത്ഥമായിപ്പോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एतस्मात्: from this
• एतस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कारणात्: from the reason; because of the cause
• कारणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• पार्वणम्: the pārvana rite (śrāddha at parvan)
• पार्वणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

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

• विधीयते: is prescribed/ordained
• विधीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: on that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• संप्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived; upon arrival
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Time circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (अहनि इति पदेन सह) ; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• व्यर्थम्: fruitless; in vain
• व्यर्थम्: Karma-pravacaniya/Predicate (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• यतः: because; since
• यतः: Hetu (Cause marker/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु-अव्यय (causal indeclinable: 'because/since')

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage concludes: because acceptance fails, pārvaṇa is not prescribed; a visual of an offering plate left untouched symbolizes ‘fruitless śrāddha’, while the king resolves to follow the correct rule.

Characters & Entities

• pārvaṇa śrāddha
• śrāddha
• rājan (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not merely intention but right method; an incorrectly timed or misapplied rite may yield no spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is legal-ritual instruction within a tīrtha-māhātmya section; it does not itself specify a site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It states that pārvaṇa śrāddha is not to be performed on that day because it becomes ineffective.