Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सोमाय पितृमते स्वधेति च ततः परम् । हुतमन्नं च शेषं च श्राद्धार्हेभ्यः प्रदीयते

Transliteration

somāya pitṛmate svadheti ca tataḥ param | hutamannaṃ ca śeṣaṃ ca śrāddhārhebhyaḥ pradīyate

Translation

അടുത്തതായി ‘പിതൃപ്രിയനായ സോമായ സ്വധാ’ എന്നു ചൊല്ലി ആഹുതി നൽകണം. അഗ്നിയിൽ ഹുതമായ അന്നവും ശേഷിക്കുന്ന അന്നവും ശ്രാദ്ധാർഹർക്കു നൽകണം.

Word by Word

• सोमाय: to Soma
• सोमाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• पितृमते: who has the Pitṛs / connected with ancestors
• पितृमते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; विशेषण (सोमस्य)

• स्वधा: svadhā
• स्वधा: Mantra (Ritual utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वधा (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: पितृयज्ञ-मन्त्र-निपात (exclamation in ancestral offerings)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala/Desha (Adverbial/काल-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अनन्तर (thereafter)

• परम्: after that
• परम्: Kala (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverbial accusative), क्रमवाचक (afterwards)

• हुतम्: offered (in fire)
• हुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (अन्नम्)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• शेषम्: the remainder
• शेषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• श्राद्धार्हेभ्यः: to those eligible for śrāddha (Brahmins)
• श्राद्धार्हेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्धार्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य अर्हः)

• प्रदीयते: is given
• प्रदीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The second offering is made into the fire with ‘svadhā’; afterward, brāhmaṇas sit in a line receiving śrāddha food served respectfully; the atmosphere is quiet and sanctified.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Pitṛs
• Svadhā
• Śrāddha
• Anna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites unite offering and charity: mantra to Soma and giving food to the worthy completes the dharmic circuit of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes śrāddha completion and dāna; it does not identify the tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer an āhuti to Soma with “svadhā,” then distribute both the offered and remaining food to śrāddha-eligible brāhmaṇas.