Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तथा धर्मक्रियाः सर्वा मानुषाणामुदाहृताः । न प्रेतानां न देवानां नान्येषां मानुषं विना

Transliteration

tathā dharmakriyāḥ sarvā mānuṣāṇāmudāhṛtāḥ | na pretānāṃ na devānāṃ nānyeṣāṃ mānuṣaṃ vinā

Translation

Demikian juga, segala perbuatan dharma dinyatakan milik manusia. Bukan untuk preta, bukan untuk para dewa, dan bukan untuk yang lain—hanya kelahiran sebagai manusia ialah medan bagi amalan dharma.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (thus/so)

• धर्मक्रियाः: religious rites
• धर्मक्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य क्रियाः)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• मानुषाणाम्: of humans
• मानुषाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• उदाहृताः: have been prescribed/declared
• उदाहृताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + आ + हृ (धातु) → उदाहृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘have been declared’ (agreeing with क्रियाः)

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

• प्रेतानाम्: of pretas
• प्रेतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• देवानाम्: of gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• अन्येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• मानुषम्: human (existence)
• मानुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘human (state/condition)’

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपदविभक्ति-नियामक-अव्यय; सहार्थे ‘without’, द्वितीयासह (takes accusative)

Speaker

Māṃsāda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm instructional tableau: the teacher enumerates beings—humans, pretas, devas—emphasizing that dharma-kriyā belongs to human embodiment; symbolic icons (human figure holding mala, preta as faint shadow, deva as radiant) appear as didactic emblems.

Characters & Entities

• mānuṣa (human)
• preta
• deva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is uniquely empowered for dharma and liberation-oriented action; it should not be wasted.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse provides a universal dharma principle often used to motivate tīrtha-yātrā and righteous practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it points to dharma-kriyā (rites, duties, vows) as human responsibilities, but it does not specify a particular ritual.