Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

ततो मध्यं गते सूर्ये काले कुतपसंज्ञिते । स्नातः शुक्लांबरधरः सन्तर्प्य पितृदेवताः । सन्तुष्टांश्च समाहूतांस्तान्विप्राञ्छ्राद्धमाचरेत्

Transliteration

tato madhyaṃ gate sūrye kāle kutapasaṃjñite | snātaḥ śuklāṃbaradharaḥ santarpya pitṛdevatāḥ | santuṣṭāṃśca samāhūtāṃstānviprāñchrāddhamācaret

Translation

ତାପରେ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ମଧ୍ୟାହ୍ନକୁ ପହଞ୍ଚିଲେ—‘କୁତପକାଳ’ ନାମକ ସମୟରେ—ସ୍ନାନ କରି ଶ୍ୱେତବସ୍ତ୍ର ପରିଧାନ କରି, ପିତୃଦେବତାମାନଙ୍କୁ ତର୍ପଣଦ୍ୱାରା ତୃପ୍ତ କରିବ; ଏବଂ ପ୍ରସନ୍ନ ହୋଇ ସମବେତ ଆହ୍ୱାନିତ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣମାନଙ୍କ ସହ ଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧ ଆଚରଣ କରିବ।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), अपादान/क्रमसूचक (sequence marker)

• madhyam: midday (the middle)
• madhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• gate: having gone/reached
• gate: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (गम् धातु) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘गते (सूर्ये)’ = when (the sun) has gone/reached

• sūrye: in/when the sun
• sūrye: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kāle: at the time
• kāle: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kutapa-saṃjñite: called ‘kutapa’
• kutapa-saṃjñite: Adhikarana (Qualifier of time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kutapa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुतपस्य संज्ञा यस्मिन्), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘काले’ विशेषण

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु) + snāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; कर्तृविशेषण

• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: wearing white garments
• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शुक्लम् अम्बरम् धरति), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; कर्तृविशेषण

• santarpya: having satisfied (by offerings)
• santarpya: Kriya (Gerund; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṛp (तृप् धातु) + santarpya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having satisfied/propitiated)

• pitṛ-devatāḥ: the deities of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• pitṛ-devatāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पितॄणां देवताः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• santuṣṭān: satisfied
• santuṣṭān: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam+tuṣ (तुष् धातु) + santuṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘तान्’ विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• samāhūtān: invited/called together
• samāhūtān: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-hū (हू धातु) + samāhūta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘तान्’ विशेषण

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• viprān: brahmins
• viprān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• ācaret: should perform
• ācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-car (चर् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: High noon: the yajamāna freshly bathed, in white garments, performs tarpaṇa with water and sesame; brāhmaṇas sit ready for śrāddha meal; sun overhead marking Kutapa time.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Sun)
• Kutapa-kāla
• Pitṛdevatās
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timing, purity, and reverent hospitality together make ancestral worship effective—outer cleanliness supports inner devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a procedural instruction inside a tīrthamāhātmya; the particular tīrtha is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at Kutapa (midday): bathe, wear white, offer satisfaction to Pitṛ-deities, and then complete the rite with pleased invited Brāhmaṇas.