Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

पूर्वं ब्रह्मादितः कृत्वा ये केचित्पुरुषा गताः । परलोकं समुद्दिश्य तान्नराञ्छक्तितो नृप

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ brahmāditaḥ kṛtvā ye kecitpuruṣā gatāḥ | paralokaṃ samuddiśya tānnarāñchaktito nṛpa

Translation

Ó Rei, dirigindo o rito ao mundo vindouro, os homens devem, conforme sua capacidade, realizá-lo por todos os que partiram antes—começando por Brahmā e adiante.

Word by Word

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Adhikarana (temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial accusative): ‘formerly/earlier’

• brahmāditaḥ: starting from Brahmā
• brahmāditaḥ: Apadana (source/starting point)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘ब्रह्मणः आदिः’ → ‘ब्रह्मादिः’; तस्मात् (from Brahmā onward)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) → kṛtvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having done’

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• kecit: some
• kecit: Karta (apposition to ye)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kecit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम

• puruṣāḥ: men/persons
• puruṣāḥ: Karta (subject of gatāḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• gatāḥ: have gone
• gatāḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकाले: ‘gone’

• paralokam: the other world/afterlife
• paralokam: Karma (object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘परः लोकः’

• samuddiśya: intending/dedicating (to)
• samuddiśya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ud-√diś (धातु) → samuddiśya (ल्यप्/तुमुन्-समकक्ष अव्यय)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive): ‘having dedicated/aiming at’

• tān: those (persons)
• tān: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• narān: men
• narān: Karma (object; in apposition to tān)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• śaktitaḥ: according to one’s capacity
• śaktitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘according to ability’

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as the narrator instructs: offerings are made with a vast ancestral lineage visualized as a long chain fading into cosmic origins, beginning with Brahmā.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Nṛpa (King)
• Paraloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Householder duty is capacity-based: one should honor the departed with sincere dedication, without exceeding one’s means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the broader śrāddha-dharma discussion rooted in the Gayāśiras context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform rites for departed persons with the intention of benefiting them in the next world, in proportion to one’s ability.