Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

न पुराकृतपुण्यानां नराणामिह भूतले । त्रीनेतान्प्रतिहन्यंते श्राद्धं दानं शुभा गिरः

Transliteration

na purākṛtapuṇyānāṃ narāṇāmiha bhūtale | trīnetānpratihanyaṃte śrāddhaṃ dānaṃ śubhā giraḥ

Translation

На этой земле у людей, не совершавших в прошлом заслуг, пресекаются три вещи: шраддха (обряды предкам), дана (милостыня), и благие слова (наставление и благословение).

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• purā: formerly; previously
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• kṛta: done; performed
• kṛta: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन; (narāṇām इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• puṇyānām: of merits; of virtuous deeds
• puṇyānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे बहुधा नपुंसक); षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• narāṇām: of men
• narāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• bhūtale: on the earth; on the ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-tala (भू + तल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भू-तल = पृथिव्याः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• trīn: three
• trīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• etān: these
• etān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• pratihanyante: are struck down; are destroyed
• pratihanyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-han (हन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite; ancestral offering
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (त्रीन् एतान् इत्यस्य एकः)

• dānam: gift; charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (त्रीन् एतान् इत्यस्य एकः)

• śubhāḥ: auspicious
• śubhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन; (giraḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• giraḥ: words; utterances
• giraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gir (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at a tīrtha settlement finds his planned śrāddha and dāna repeatedly impeded—empty granary, interrupted ritual, words failing—while a sage points to the unseen chain of past merit and present conduct.

Characters & Entities

• śrāddha
• dāna
• śubhā giraḥ
• puṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past merit supports present dharma; without puṇya, even good rites, charity, and beneficial speech meet obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides a general dharmic observation within the māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha and dāna are explicitly referenced as key duties, alongside maintaining śubhā giraḥ (auspicious, righteous speech).