Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

ततः प्रेताश्च ते सर्वे प्रेतत्वेन समन्विताः । यथाज्येष्ठं यथान्यायं प्रचक्रुर्भोजनक्रियाम्

Transliteration

tataḥ pretāśca te sarve pretatvena samanvitāḥ | yathājyeṣṭhaṃ yathānyāyaṃ pracakrurbhojanakriyām

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പ്രേതസ്വഭാവം ധരിച്ചിരുന്ന ആ എല്ലാ പ്രേതന്മാരും ജ്യേഷ്ഠതാക്രമത്തിലും വിധിപ്രകാരം ഭോജനക്രിയ നിർവഹിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'ततः' = 'then/from that'

• प्रेताः: ghosts; departed spirits
• प्रेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• ते: they; those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (ते/प्रेताः)

• प्रेतत्वेन: with the state of being a preta; as ghosts
• प्रेतत्वेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pretatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व)

• समन्विताः: endowed; accompanied
• समन्विताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-anu-√i (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (प्रेताः/ते)

• यथा: according to; as
• यथा: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकारवाचक)

• ज्येष्ठम्: (according to) seniority; the eldest-first order
• ज्येष्ठम्: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jyeṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (यथाज्येष्ठम् = 'according to seniority')

• यथा: according to; as
• यथा: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक)

• न्यायम्: rule; proper procedure
• न्यायम्: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (यथान्यायम्)

• प्रचक्रुः: they performed; they carried out
• प्रचक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• भोजनक्रियाम्: the act/rite of eating; meal-ritual
• भोजनक्रियाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojana (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भोजनस्य क्रिया)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A nocturnal, otherworldly banquet: pretas seated in ranked order, each receiving food according to seniority; the setting feels royal yet eerie, with ritual precision.

Characters & Entities

• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is characterized by order and propriety; right conduct (nyāya) is upheld as a principle across realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of proper procedure and hierarchy in communal acts (here, bhojana-kriyā), indicating dharmic order.