Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

यथा पूर्वं तथा देव तदुपायं प्रचिन्तय । कंचिद्येन दरिद्रा वै प्रीणयंति च ते पितॄन्

Transliteration

yathā pūrvaṃ tathā deva tadupāyaṃ pracintaya | kaṃcidyena daridrā vai prīṇayaṃti ca te pitṝn

Translation

Maka, wahai Dewa, fikirkanlah suatu upaya agar keadaan kembali seperti dahulu—suatu cara yang dengannya bahkan orang miskin pun dapat menggembirakan dan memuaskan para Pitṛ (leluhur) mereka.

Word by Word

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकार/उपमा (as/just as)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial: formerly/before)

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तदनुरूप (so/in that way)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘upāyam’)

• उपायम्: means/remedy
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रचिन्तय: consider/think out
• प्रचिन्तय: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कञ्चित्: some (one/means)
• कञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रत्यय ‘चित्’ (some/any)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; साधन/उपायार्थे (by which)

• दरिद्राः: the poor
• दरिद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निश्चय/खलु-अर्थे (indeed)

• प्रीणयन्ति: they satisfy/please
• प्रीणयन्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्री (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense possible in usage ‘to satisfy’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘your’

• पितॄन्: ancestors/fathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

Pitṛs (collectively), speaking to Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king) and the audience within the kathā-frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant voice (or a group) appeals to a deity/elder authority: ‘Devise a method so that even the poor can satisfy their Pitṛs.’ The scene is intimate, ethical, and reform-minded—foregrounding compassion and social inclusion in ritual life.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Brahmā
• Daridra (the poor)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma must be practicable for all; even those with little wealth should have a legitimate way to honor and satisfy the Pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets up a remedy-teaching within the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for an upāya (practical method) enabling daridras to perform effective pitṛ-prīṇana (ancestral satisfaction), implying simplified śrāddha options.