Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

अक्षय्यसलिलं देयं षष्ठ्या चैव ततः परम् । पवित्राणि समादाय ऊर्ध्वं स्वधेति कीर्तयेत् । अस्तु स्वधेति तैरुक्ते पिंडोपरि परिक्षिपेत्

Transliteration

akṣayyasalilaṃ deyaṃ ṣaṣṭhyā caiva tataḥ param | pavitrāṇi samādāya ūrdhvaṃ svadheti kīrtayet | astu svadheti tairukte piṃḍopari parikṣipet

Translation

‘ଅକ୍ଷୟ୍ୟ-ସଲିଲ’ ଅର୍ପଣ କରିବ, ଏବଂ ପରେ ଷଷ୍ଠ ଭାଗ/କ୍ରମରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଦେବ। ପବିତ୍ର ଧାରଣ କରି ଉଚ୍ଚ ସ୍ୱରେ ‘ସ୍ୱଧା’ ଉଚ୍ଚାରଣ କରିବ। ‘ଅସ୍ତୁ ସ୍ୱଧା’ କୁହାଗଲେ ପିଣ୍ଡ ଉପରେ ଛିଟାଇବ।

Word by Word

• akṣayya-salilam: imperishable water
• akṣayya-salilam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣayya (प्रातिपदिक) + salila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (अक्षय्यं सलिलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• deyam: to be given; should be offered
• deyam: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् ‘to be given’

• ṣaṣṭhyā: with the sixth (division/step)
• ṣaṣṭhyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘with the sixth (case/portion)’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक

• param: after that
• param: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत; क्रियाविशेषणम् (thereafter)

• pavitrāṇi: purifying rings/grass (pavitra)
• pavitrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pavitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• samādāya: having taken
• samādāya: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having taken up

• ūrdhvam: upwards
• ūrdhvam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-द्वितीया एकवचन; दिशावाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (upwards)

• svadhā: svadhā (ancestral offering formula)
• svadhā: Mantra/Utterance
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svadhā (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; पितृयज्ञे उच्चारणीयः निपात (ritual exclamation)

• iti: thus
• iti: Quotative marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति सूचक (quotative particle)

• kīrtayet: should recite
• kīrtayet: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrt (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should utter/recite

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; let it be

• svadhā: svadhā
• svadhā: Mantra/Utterance
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svadhā (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; पितृयज्ञ-निपात

• iti: thus
• iti: Quotative marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरणचिह्न

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• ukte: when said/uttered
• ukte: Saptamī-sambandha (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट् (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध): ‘when (it is) said’

• piṇḍa-upari: upon the piṇḍa
• piṇḍa-upari: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + upari (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषणम्/अधिकरणार्थ (on top of the piṇḍa)

• parikṣipet: should sprinkle/scatter
• parikṣipet: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-kṣip (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should scatter/throw around

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, prescribing śrāddha rites)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close ritual moment: the performer wears a pavitra ring of darbha, holds a water vessel labeled ‘akṣayya-salila’, and sprinkles droplets over a piṇḍa while chanting ‘svadhā’; attendants echo assent.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Svadhā
• Piṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites become spiritually effective through correct mantra, purity, and disciplined sequence—linking devotion with dharmic precision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage is a tīrtha-glorification setting, but this verse itself focuses on the rite rather than naming the location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer akṣayya-salila, hold pavitras, recite ‘svadhā’, accept the ritual assent ‘astu svadhā’, and sprinkle the offering over the piṇḍa.