Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

मासद्वयं च मत्स्यस्य मासमेकं कपिञ्जले । नान्येषां योजयेन्मांसं पितृकार्ये कथंचन

Transliteration

māsadvayaṃ ca matsyasya māsamekaṃ kapiñjale | nānyeṣāṃ yojayenmāṃsaṃ pitṛkārye kathaṃcana

Translation

मत्स्य (मासा) मांसाने दोन महिने तृप्ति होते आणि कपिञ्जल मांसाने एक महिना. इतर प्राण्यांचे मांस पितृकार्यांत कधीही लावू नये।

Word by Word

• māsa-dvayam: two months
• māsa-dvayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वौ मासौ इति)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• matsyasya: of fish
• matsyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• māsa-ekam: one month
• māsa-ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (एकः मासः इति)

• kapiñjale: in/for the kapiñjala bird (francolin)
• kapiñjale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapiñjala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• yojayet: one should employ/use
• yojayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• māṃsam: meat
• māṃsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• pitṛ-kārye: in the rite for the ancestors
• pitṛ-kārye: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां कार्यम्)

• kathaṃcana: in any way (at all)
• kathaṃcana: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/निषेध-प्रयोगे ‘कदापि/कथंचित्’ (in any way/at all)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing reply)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage raises a hand in prohibition while indicating a limited set of offerings (fish and kapiñjala) and pushing away a tray of miscellaneous meats, emphasizing ritual restriction.

Characters & Entities

• matsya (fish)
• kapiñjala
• pitṛ (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline in ritual matters safeguards purity; not everything is interchangeable in sacred duties toward the Pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the teaching is a dharma-rule within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Fish is said to satisfy for two months, kapiñjala for one; other meats are prohibited for pitṛ-kārya.