Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

यः सूत्रं पूर्वपिण्डेषु सततं विनियोजयेत् । स विरोधं चरेत्तेषां त्रोटनाच्च परस्परम्

Transliteration

yaḥ sūtraṃ pūrvapiṇḍeṣu satataṃ viniyojayet | sa virodhaṃ caretteṣāṃ troṭanācca parasparam

Translation

മുൻപുള്ള പിണ്ഡങ്ങളിൽ ഒരേ സൂത്രം തുടർച്ചയായി വിനിയോഗിക്കുന്നവൻ അവർക്കിടയിൽ പരസ്പരവിരോധം ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ഭംഗവും വേർപാടും സംഭവിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun, Nominative singular

• sūtraṃ: thread
• sūtraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• pūrva-piṇḍeṣu: among the earlier piṇḍas
• pūrva-piṇḍeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (पूर्वाः पिण्डाः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• satataṃ: constantly
• satataṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-नपुंसक एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्); adverb ‘continually’

• viniyojayet: should attach/apply
• viniyojayet: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; वि+नि+योजयति (णिच् causative); should apply/attach

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Demonstrative pronoun

• virodhaṃ: conflict; obstruction
• virodhaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• caret: would incur
• caret: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should incur/undergo

• teṣāṃ: of those (piṇḍas)
• teṣāṃ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• troṭanāt: due to snapping/breaking
• troṭanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: troṭana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from breaking/snapping’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• parasparam: mutually; with each other
• parasparam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-द्वितीया एकवचन; परस्पर-भावे क्रियाविशेषणम् (reciprocal adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: the performer is shown about to run one thread across multiple piṇḍas; an elder priest gestures to stop, indicating separate threads; in a symbolic overlay, shadowy figures of ancestors appear discordant when the thread is continuous, then calm when separated.

Characters & Entities

• sūtra
• piṇḍa
• virodha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even subtle ritual distinctions symbolize harmony among ancestors; careless merging of dedications is portrayed as causing ‘virodha’ (disharmony).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned; the verse is a technical śrāddha injunction within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not run one continuous thread across earlier piṇḍas; assign threads separately to avoid ritual ‘conflict’ and disruption.