Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

उच्छिष्टेन मया होमः कर्तव्यो नैव सांप्रतम् । राक्षसानामिदं कर्म यत्त्वया समनुष्ठितम्

Transliteration

ucchiṣṭena mayā homaḥ kartavyo naiva sāṃpratam | rākṣasānāmidaṃ karma yattvayā samanuṣṭhitam

Translation

“Sekarang aku tidak dapat melakukan persembahan api dengan apa yang telah dicemari. Ini adalah jenis perbuatan yang dilakukan oleh rākṣasa—apa yang telah kamu lakukan.”

Word by Word

• ucchiṣṭena: with impurity/leftovers
• ucchiṣṭena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ucchiṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; साधन/हेतु: ‘with/through impurity (leftover)’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by me’

• homaḥ: homa (fire-offering)
• homaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kartavyaḥ: to be performed
• kartavyaḥ: Vidhi (विधेय/Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (तव्यत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त विधेय/कर्तव्यता (gerundive: ‘to be done’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; homaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis: ‘indeed/just’)

• sāṃpratam: at present
• sāṃpratam: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative): ‘now/at present’

• rākṣasānām: of the demons
• rākṣasānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• karma: act/deed
• karma: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative: ‘which’)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by you’

• samanuṣṭhitam: performed
• samanuṣṭhitam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (विशेषण of karma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-anu-ṣṭhā (धातु) + samanuṣṭhita (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘carried out/performed’

Speaker

prasthātā (officiating priest)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The priest stands by the altar, lamenting that the homa cannot be done; the youth is framed as a shadow of rākṣasa-like impulse, with the fire dimmed or paused.

Characters & Entities

• homa
• rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites require inner and outer cleanliness; impurity converts worship into harm and fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is ethical-ritual instruction within a tīrtha narrative; it does not specify a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Homa should not be performed using ucchiṣṭa (defiled/contaminated) offerings.