Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

अन्नं पर्युषितं यच्च तैलाक्तं वा प्रदीयते । सकेशं वा सनिंद्यं च तच्छ्राद्धं व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

annaṃ paryuṣitaṃ yacca tailāktaṃ vā pradīyate | sakeśaṃ vā saniṃdyaṃ ca tacchrāddhaṃ vyarthatāṃ vrajet

Translation

Se, no Śrāddha, o alimento oferecido estiver passado, ou untado com óleo, ou com cabelos misturados, ou em condição impura e censurável, então esse Śrāddha torna-se vão.

Word by Word

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये ‘प्रदीयते’ कर्मरूपेण

• paryuṣitam: stale (kept overnight)
• paryuṣitam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-uṣ (उष् धातु) + paryuṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’/‘(तत्)’ सम्बन्धसूचक

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

• taila-aktam: smeared with oil
• taila-aktam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + añj (अञ्ज् धातु) + akta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तैलेन अक्तम्), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• pradīyate: is given/offered
• pradīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (दा धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• sa-keśam: with hair (in it)
• sa-keśam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/स- उपसर्गवत्) + keśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (केशैः सह), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• sa-nindyam: with something blameworthy/impure
• sa-nindyam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/स-) + nindya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (निन्द्येन/निन्द्यं सह), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्नम्’ विशेषण

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

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ विशेषण

• śrāddham: the śrāddha
• śrāddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• vyarthatām: futility
• vyarthatām: Karma (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyarthatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vrajet: would become/go to
• vrajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (व्रज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Purāṇic Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kitchen-adjacent śrāddha setting: fresh steaming rice and simple sāttvika dishes are prepared; a servant discards stale/oily food; a careful householder inspects a leaf-plate to ensure no hair/impurity; brāhmaṇas wait in silence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offerings to the Pitṛs must be pure and respectful; negligence in purity makes the rite spiritually ineffective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as dharma-guidance within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the snippet itself does not name a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not offer stale food, oil-smeared items, or defiled food (e.g., with hair) in śrāddha.