Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

समादाय पितॄंस्तर्प्य यावदग्नौ जुहोति सः । तावद्वह्निः परित्यज्य समस्तमपि भूतलम्

Transliteration

samādāya pitṝṃstarpya yāvadagnau juhoti saḥ | tāvadvahniḥ parityajya samastamapi bhūtalam

Translation

ତାହା ଗ୍ରହଣ କରି ସେ ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ତର୍ପଣ କରି ଅଗ୍ନିରେ ଆହୁତି ଦେବାକୁ ଲାଗିଲା; ସେ ଯେତେଦିନ ହୋମ କରୁଥିଲା, ସେତେଦିନ ବହ୍ନି ନିଜ ସ୍ଥାନ ଛାଡ଼ି ସମଗ୍ର ଭୂତଳରେ ପ୍ରସାରିତ ହେଲା।

Word by Word

• समादाय: having taken up
• समादाय: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; धातु: दा (to take) उपसर्ग: सम्+आ; अर्थे: ‘having taken’

• पितṝन्: the fathers/ancestors
• पितṝन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• तर्प्य: having satisfied (offered libations to)
• तर्प्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) रूप (तर्प्य = तर्पयित्वा इत्यर्थे), causative sense; अव्ययभावः

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/परिमाणवाचक (as long as/so long)

• अग्नौ: in the fire
• अग्नौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• जुहोति: offers (into fire)
• जुहोति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तावत्: for that long
• तावत्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावद् = ‘so long/for that long’ (correlative of यावत्)

• वह्निः: the fire (Agni)
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; धातु: त्यज् (to abandon) उपसर्ग: परि

• समस्तम्: entire
• समस्तम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• भूतलम्: the earth’s surface
• भूतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacrificer performs pitṛ-tarpaṇa and pours oblations into a blazing altar-fire; the fire suddenly surges outward, racing across the earth like a living being, scorching the ground and sky.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Pitṛs
• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid desperation, the sage remembers the Pitṛs and performs offering; the Purāṇa elevates ancestral rites and agni-oblation as enduring pillars of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the Adhyāya 90 narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa (satisfying the ancestors) and agni-homa/juhoti (offering oblations into fire) are explicitly referenced.