Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु वागुवाचाशरीरिणी । येषामुद्दिश्य तच्छ्राद्धं कृतं तेषां नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

etasminneva kāle tu vāguvācāśarīriṇī | yeṣāmuddiśya tacchrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ teṣāṃ nṛpottama

Translation

ในกาลนั้นเอง มีวาจาไร้กายเปล่งขึ้นว่า “ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ ผู้ใดที่ได้ถูกอุทิศด้วยนามและเจตนาในพิธีศราทธะนั้น ย่อมได้รับผลตามบัญญัติแน่นอน”

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तु: but/then
• तु: Nipāta (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक निपात (contrastive particle)

• वाक्: a voice
• वाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अशरीरिणी: bodiless
• अशरीरिणी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + शरीरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘वाक्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• उद्दिश्य: intending/for (them)
• उद्दिश्य: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + दिश् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); हेत्वर्थ/उद्देश्य (having intended/aimed at)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/कर्म-भावे (with ‘कृतम्’)

• कृतम्: done/performed
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Result state/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ इत्यस्य विधेयविशेषण

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Aśarīriṇī vāk (incorporeal divine voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings) addressed by the voice

Visual Art Cues

Scene: As the rite concludes, an unseen celestial voice speaks from the sky; Indra and/or a kingly figure pauses in reverence, looking upward amid ritual implements.

Characters & Entities

• Aśarīriṇī Vāk (Divine Voice)
• Nṛpottama (best of kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha done with clear intention (uddiśya) is recognized by divine order and yields sure benefit to the intended ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is implied in this Adhyāya’s context as the famed tīrtha for pitṛ-rites and śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The key prescription is uddiśya-śrāddha—performing śrāddha dedicated to specific departed beings so the rite reaches them.