Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

षष्ठ्या विभक्त्या तु तेषामासनं च प्रदापयेत् । ऋजुभिः साक्षतैर्दर्भैः सोदकैर्दक्षिणांगतः

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭhyā vibhaktyā tu teṣāmāsanaṃ ca pradāpayet | ṛjubhiḥ sākṣatairdarbhaiḥ sodakairdakṣiṇāṃgataḥ

Translation

षष्ठी-विभक्तीच्या मंत्रप्रयोगाने त्यांना आसन अर्पण करावे; सरळ दर्भ, अक्षता व जल सहित दक्षिण दिशेकडे क्रमाने जावे।

Word by Word

• षष्ठ्या: by the sixth case (genitive)
• षष्ठ्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'षष्ठी' इति विभक्तिनाम

• विभक्त्या: by (a) case-ending
• विभक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध/Genitive), बहुवचन

• आसनम्: a seat
• आसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/Object), एकवचन

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

• प्रदापयेत्: should cause to be given / should offer
• प्रदापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• ऋजुभिः: straight
• ऋजुभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋजु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (दर्भैः इत्यस्य)

• साक्षतैः: with unbroken grains (akṣata)
• साक्षतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (दर्भैः इत्यस्य)

• दर्भैः: with darbha grass
• दर्भैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सोदकैः: together with water / wet
• सोदकैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'उदकयुक्त' इति विशेषण (दर्भैः इत्यस्य)

• दक्षिणाङ्गतः: from the right side
• दक्षिणाङ्गतः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-अर्थे अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिण + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) 'दक्षिणाङ्गतः' = दक्षिणाङ्गात् (from the right side)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up ritual detail: the priest holds straight darbha with akṣata grains, sprinkles water, and verbally offers ‘āsana’ using genitive phrasing; the layout subtly shifts toward the southern side of the ritual space.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• darbha
• akṣata
• udaka (water)
• ṣaṣṭhī-vibhakti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites join inner devotion with precise speech and action; even grammatical form is treated as part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ritual is framed within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but this verse itself highlights the śrāddha method rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer seats to the Pitṛs using a genitive (ṣaṣṭhī) invocation; use straight darbha, akṣata, and water, oriented toward the south.