Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्नैवातिथिः पूज्यः श्राद्धे वा यज्ञकर्मणि । संप्राप्ते वैश्वदेवांते तत्ते सर्वं भविष्यति

Transliteration

yasminnaivātithiḥ pūjyaḥ śrāddhe vā yajñakarmaṇi | saṃprāpte vaiśvadevāṃte tatte sarvaṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

ఏ శ్రాద్ధంలో గానీ యజ్ఞకర్మలో గానీ వచ్చిన అతిథిని గౌరవించకపోతే—ప్రత్యేకంగా వైశ్వదేవాంత్య ఆహుతి సమయానికి—ఆ సమస్త పుణ్యం నీదే అవుతుంది.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular relative ‘in which’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय — negation

• एव: at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय — with negation: ‘at all’

• अतिथिः: a guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (guest)

• पूज्यः: to be honored
• पूज्यः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — gerundive ‘to be honored’ (predicate adjective of अतिथिः)

• श्राद्धे: in śrāddha
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular ‘in śrāddha’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय — ‘or’

• यज्ञ-कर्मणि: in a sacrifice-ritual
• यज्ञ-कर्मणि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular ‘in sacrificial rite’

• संप्राप्ते: when it has come
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative absolute ‘when (it is) arrived/when it has come’

• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: at the end of vaiśvadeva
• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्वदेव (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular ‘at the end of the vaiśvadeva (rite)’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — demonstrative ‘that’ (correlative)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular ‘your’

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular ‘all (of it)’

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Future ‘will be’

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rite in progress: offerings laid out; at the doorway an atithi arrives (staff, travel dust), hands folded; the host hesitates while priests continue—visualizing the moral tension; the Viśvedevas symbolized by a small concluding oblation into fire.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Atithi
• Śrāddha
• Yajña
• Viśvedevas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring guests is integral to dharma; neglecting atithi-pūjā spoils the rite’s intended merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya section of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha/yajña—especially around the Vaiśvadeva portion—one must honor guests properly.