Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यो वांछति पशून्मुख्यान्कुप्याकुप्यधनानि च । चतुर्थ्यां तेन कर्तव्यं श्राद्धं पितृप्रतुष्टये

Transliteration

yo vāṃchati paśūnmukhyānkupyākupyadhanāni ca | caturthyāṃ tena kartavyaṃ śrāddhaṃ pitṛpratuṣṭaye

Translation

சிறந்த கால்நடைகளையும் குப்ய-அகுப்ய வகை செல்வங்களையும் விரும்புவான், பித்ருக்கள் முழுத் திருப்தியடைய நான்காம் நாளில் ஸ்ராத்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: he who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

• vāṃchati: desires
• vāṃchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vāñch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• paśūn: animals/cattle
• paśūn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• mukhyān: chief/excellent
• mukhyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (paśūn इति विशेष्यस्य)

• kupya: movable (property)
• kupya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kupya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासाङ्ग (kupyākupya-)

• akupya: immovable (property)
• akupya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akupya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासाङ्ग (kupyākupya-)

• dhanāni: wealth/assets
• dhanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘kupya+akupya’ इति द्वन्द्वपूर्वपदसमासः, ततः ‘dhanāni’ इति विशेष्यं

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• caturthyām: on the fourth (tithi)
• caturthyām: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturthī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक (on the fourth lunar day)

• tena: by him/therefore
• tena: Kartr̥-sahakārī (Agent-associated/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अन्वादेश (by him/therefore)

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/passive necessity), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

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

• pitṛ-pratuṣṭaye: for the satisfaction of the ancestors
• pitṛ-pratuṣṭaye: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pratuṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pitṝṇāṃ pratuṣṭiḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic instruction; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pretapakṣa Caturthī śrāddha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Fourth-day śrāddha with symbols of prosperity: cattle in a nearby pen, granary jars, cloth bundles; the ritual foreground shows piṇḍas and brāhmaṇa-bhojana; ancestors depicted as receiving offerings with satisfaction.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral satisfaction (pitṛ-prīti) is emphasized as a dharmic foundation that supports stability and prosperity in household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excerpt does not name a particular tīrtha; it highlights the merit of śrāddha by tithi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha on Caturthī (fourth lunar day) with the intent of pleasing the Pitṛs.