Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पितृणां तर्पणार्थाय मेध्याः संकीर्तिता बुधैः । पदार्था रुधिरं प्रोक्तं राक्षसानां प्रतर्पणे

Transliteration

pitṛṇāṃ tarpaṇārthāya medhyāḥ saṃkīrtitā budhaiḥ | padārthā rudhiraṃ proktaṃ rākṣasānāṃ pratarpaṇe

Translation

പിതൃകളുടെ തർപ്പണാർത്ഥം പണ്ഡിതർ ശുദ്ധവും യോഗ്യവുമായ ദ്രവ്യങ്ങൾ നിർദ്ദേശിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്; എന്നാൽ രാക്ഷസന്മാരെ തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുത്താൻ രക്തം തന്നെയാണ് യോജ്യമായ അർപ്പണമെന്നു പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पितृणाम्: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• तर्पणार्थाय: for the purpose of offering (tarpana)
• तर्पणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तर्पणस्य अर्थः)

• मेध्याः: pure, fit for sacrifice
• मेध्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• संकीर्तिताः: declared/mentioned
• संकीर्तिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + कीर्त् (धातु) → संकीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘प्रशंसित/उक्त’

• बुधैः: by the wise
• बुधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• पदार्थाः: items/substances
• पदार्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पदानाम् अर्थाः/पदस्य अर्थः)

• रुधिरम्: blood
• रुधिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: is said/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘कथितम्/उक्तम्’

• राक्षसानाम्: of the rākṣasas
• राक्षसानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• प्रतर्पणे: in the act of satisfying/propitiating
• प्रतर्पणे: Adhikarana (Location/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + तृप् (धातु) → प्रतर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: sages enumerating pure offerings for pitṛs (water, tila, piṇḍa) contrasted with a dark, rākṣasa-associated bowl of blood marked as unfit for pitṛ rites.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rituals must align with dharmic categories of purity; offerings appropriate for one class of beings may be improper for another.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Rāmahrada discussion but focuses on ritual classification rather than praising a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies that Pitṛ-tarpaṇa should be done with medhya (pure) substances, not with blood.