Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

प्रेतत्वात्सर्पदोषेण संजाता द्विजसत्तमाः । देवशर्मपुरो यावत्तत्कृतं श्राद्धमादरात् । तावत्पिता विनिर्मुक्तः प्रेतत्वाद्दारुणाद्द्विजाः

Transliteration

pretatvātsarpadoṣeṇa saṃjātā dvijasattamāḥ | devaśarmapuro yāvattatkṛtaṃ śrāddhamādarāt | tāvatpitā vinirmuktaḥ pretatvāddāruṇāddvijāḥ

Translation

ହେ ଦ୍ୱିଜସତ୍ତମମାନେ, ସର୍ପ-ଦୋଷ ହେତୁ ପ୍ରେତତ୍ୱ ଉତ୍ପନ୍ନ ହୋଇଥିଲା। କିନ୍ତୁ ଦେବଶର୍ମାଙ୍କ ସମ୍ମୁଖରେ ଯେତେବେଳେ ସେହି ଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧ ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧା-ଆଦରରେ କରାଗଲା, ସେତେବେଳେ ତାଙ୍କ ପିତା ସେହି ଭୟଙ୍କର ପ୍ରେତାବସ୍ଥାରୁ ମୁକ୍ତ ହେଲେ, ହେ ଦ୍ୱିଜମାନେ।

Word by Word

• pretatvāt: because of being a preta
• pretatvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pretatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (because of)

• sarpadoṣeṇa: due to the serpent-doṣa
• sarpadoṣeṇa: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (sarpa-doṣa ‘serpent-affliction’); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; हेतुसाधनभाव

• saṃjātā: arose/occurred
• saṃjātā: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + jan (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘arisen/occurred’ (agreeing with implied ‘vārtāḥ/daśāḥ’ or as predicate)

• dvijasattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvijasattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (dvijāḥ eva sattamāḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि

• devaśarma: Devaśarma
• devaśarma: Sambandha (Name/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (name); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (as first member of compound with puraḥ)

• puraḥ: in front/preceding
• puraḥ: Prakaraṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, ‘in front/first’; devaśarma-puraḥ = ‘with Devaśarma in front/preceding’

• yāvat: as long as/until
• yāvat: Adhikaraṇa (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक: ‘as long as/until’

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘that’ (referring to śrāddha)

• kṛtam: done/performed
• kṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (śrāddham)

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

• ādarāt: out of reverence
• ādarāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे: ‘out of respect’

• tāvat: then/so long
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तावदर्थक: ‘then/so long/thereupon’

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vinirmuktaḥ: completely freed
• vinirmuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + nir + muc (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (pitā): ‘fully released’

• pretatvāt: from preta-hood
• pretatvāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pretatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे: ‘from (the state of) preta-hood’

• dāruṇāt: from the dreadful (condition)
• dāruṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; विशेषण (pretatvāt): ‘from the dreadful (state)’

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे (O dvijāḥ)

Speaker

Local devotees/hosts (narrating a corrective precedent)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāga-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijasattamāḥ / dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devaśarmā presides as the rajarṣi repeats the śrāddha with reverence; a symbolic release occurs—darkness lifting from the preta, suggesting liberation; serpent imagery indicates sarpa-doṣa being neutralized.

Characters & Entities

• Sarpa-doṣa
• Devaśarmā
• Śrāddha
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When an obstacle like sarpa-doṣa exists, the remedy must be performed with proper authority and reverence; then ancestral liberation becomes possible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha setting where sarpa-related afflictions and preta-state are addressed through effective śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A reverently performed śrāddha in the presence of a qualified brāhmaṇa (Devaśarmā) as a specific remedy for sarpa-doṣa-related preta-condition.