Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

यावन्न क्रियते श्राद्धं तस्मिंस्तीर्थे द्विजोत्तमाः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन मृतस्याहिप्रदंक्षणात् । श्राद्धं कार्यं प्रयत्नेन तस्मिंस्तीर्थेऽहिसंभवे

Transliteration

yāvanna kriyate śrāddhaṃ tasmiṃstīrthe dvijottamāḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena mṛtasyāhipradaṃkṣaṇāt | śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ prayatnena tasmiṃstīrthe'hisaṃbhave

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്യുന്നതുവരെ (വിമോചനം) ലഭിക്കുകയില്ല. അതിനാൽ സർപ്പദംശം മൂലം മരിച്ചവനുവേണ്ടി ആ അഹിസംഭവ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ പരമശ്രമത്തോടെ ശ്രാദ്ധം നിർവ്വഹിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as/until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'as long as/until')

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

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive/कर्मणि), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इति अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वः प्रयत्नः)

• मृतस्य: of the dead person
• मृतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle: 'dead')

• अहिप्रदंक्षणात्: from snake-bite
• अहिप्रदंक्षणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदंक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अहिना प्रदंक्षणम्)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Kriya (Predicate necessity/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ: 'to be done')

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन, सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहिसंभवे: in the case of snake-incident/origin
• अहिसंभवे: Adhikarana (Occasion/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि (प्रातिपदिक) + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अहेः संभवः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ahisambhava-tīrtha (as ‘tasmintīrthe… ahisambhave’)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daytime river/pond-side śrāddha: priests with darbha, sesame, water-pot; family offering piṇḍas; a nāga emblem marking the tīrtha’s identity; the preta-form dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijottama
• Śrāddha
• Ahi (serpent)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes timely remedial rites; a tīrtha is a compassionate mechanism for restoring spiritual order for the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

An ahi-saṃbhava (serpent-associated/serpent-origin) tīrtha central to this adhyāya, recommended for śrāddha in cases of serpent-caused death.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at the specified tīrtha for a person who died due to a serpent’s bite/strike, with full diligence.