Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां मासि भाद्रपदे नरः । करिष्यति च यः श्राद्धं भक्त्या शस्त्रहतस्य च

Transliteration

kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ māsi bhādrapade naraḥ | kariṣyati ca yaḥ śrāddhaṃ bhaktyā śastrahatasya ca

Translation

ଭାଦ୍ରପଦ ମାସର କୃଷ୍ଣପକ୍ଷ ଚତୁର୍ଦ୍ଦଶୀ ଦିନେ ଯେ ନର ଭକ୍ତିରେ ଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧ କରିବ—ଶସ୍ତ୍ରହତଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ମଧ୍ୟ—

Word by Word

• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: in the dark fortnight
• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (कृष्णः पक्षः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth lunar day
• caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bhādrapade: in Bhādrapada
• bhādrapade: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhādrapada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kariṣyati: will perform
• kariṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

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

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śastra-hatasya: of one slain by a weapon
• śastra-hatasya: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra (प्रातिपदिक) + hata (कृदन्त; √han)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (शस्त्रेण हतः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• ca: also/and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Pitṛs (ancestors) (continuing promise of results)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmahrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma (and future pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a dark-fortnight fourteenth, a devotee performs śrāddha by the hrada with piṇḍa offerings and water-libations, dedicating merit to a weapon-slain departed; the sky suggests waning moon and solemn compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Bhādrapada
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Śrāddha
• Śastra-hata (weapon-slain deceased)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes compassionate ritual support for the departed, including those who died violently, through properly timed śrāddha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The prescription is given within the Rāmahrada tīrtha-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Bhādrapada kṛṣṇapakṣa caturdaśī, with devotion, even for a śastra-hata (weapon-slain) departed.