Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

तं शृणुध्वं महाभागा गदतो मम सांप्रतम् । पितॄनन्नेन येनैव समुद्दिश्य द्विजोत्तमान्

Transliteration

taṃ śṛṇudhvaṃ mahābhāgā gadato mama sāṃpratam | pitṝnannena yenaiva samuddiśya dvijottamān

Translation

ท่านผู้มีบุญทั้งหลาย จงฟังบัดนี้เมื่อเรากล่าวอยู่ ด้วยเครื่องบูชาเป็นภัตตาหารนั้นเอง—อุทิศแด่ปิตฤทั้งหลาย พร้อมทั้งน้อมกล่าวต่อพราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ทวิชะ—พึงประกอบพิธีกรรมให้สำเร็จ

Word by Word

• तम्: that (thing)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• शृणुध्वम्: hear (you all)
• शृणुध्वम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (श्रु) धातु
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), बहुवचन — Imperative Plural; आत्मनेपद

• महाभागाः: O greatly fortunate ones
• महाभागाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural; बहुव्रीहि: 'महान् भागः यस्य' (vocative sense in address)

• गदतः: of (me) speaking
• गदतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदत् (√गद् धातु, शतृ-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — Genitive Singular; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle)

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — Genitive Singular

• सांप्रतम्: now
• सांप्रतम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'now/at this moment')

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन — Accusative Plural

• अन्नेन: with food
• अन्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — Instrumental Singular

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — Instrumental Singular; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• समुद्दिश्य: having mentioned/designated
• समुद्दिश्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उद्-√दिश् (दिशँ) धातु
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): 'having designated/mentioning'

• द्विजोत्तमान्: the best Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन — Accusative Plural; षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ-तत्पुरुष: 'द्विजेषु उत्तमाः'

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (didactic voice addressing a king/assembly)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāgāḥ (fortunate listeners); broader frame addresses a king later

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual host listens as the instructor explains that the same food-offering, dedicated to Pitṛs while honoring foremost brāhmaṇas, constitutes the rite; vessels, cooked rice, and kuśa are visible.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites become effective when offerings are consciously dedicated to the Pitṛs and given with reverence through qualified brāhmaṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the immediate snippet emphasizes śrāddha procedure rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering food in a śrāddha context, explicitly dedicating it to the Pitṛs while honoring dvijottama brāhmaṇas.