Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

ते रक्षंति ततः श्राद्धं यथावत्परितर्पिताः । छिद्राणि नाशयंति स्म श्राद्धे पूर्वं प्रपूजिताः

Transliteration

te rakṣaṃti tataḥ śrāddhaṃ yathāvatparitarpitāḥ | chidrāṇi nāśayaṃti sma śrāddhe pūrvaṃ prapūjitāḥ

Translation

เมื่อท่านทั้งหลายได้รับการถวายทานอย่างถูกต้องจนพอใจแล้ว ก็ย่อมคุ้มครองพิธีศราทธะ ครั้นได้รับบูชาก่อนในศราทธะแล้ว ท่านย่อมทำลายช่องโหว่และความบกพร่องทั้งปวงที่อาจเกิดขึ้นในพิธี

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• रक्षन्ति: protect
• रक्षन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• ततः: thereupon/therefore
• ततः: Hetu/Adhikarana (Cause/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/अनन्तरार्थ क्रियाविशेषण (thereupon/therefore)

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यथावत्: properly
• यथावत्: Visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (properly)

• परितर्पिताः: having been fully satisfied (fed/propitiated)
• परितर्पिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि√तृप् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (ते इति कर्तरि)

• छिद्राणि: defects/holes (flaws)
• छिद्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नाशयन्ति: destroy/remove
• नाशयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु) [णिच् causative: नाशय-]
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• स्म: indeed/then (particle)
• स्म: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; भूतार्थ/अनुस्मरणार्थक निपात (particle, often with past narrative)

• श्राद्धे: in śrāddha
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: before/first
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• प्रपूजिताः: having been worshipped beforehand
• प्रपूजिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√पूज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (ते इति कर्तरि)

Speaker

Narrator in Nāgarakhaṇḍa (contextual: instructing a king on Śrāddha-dharma)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvedevāḥ as radiant guardians encircle the śrāddha space; dark ‘flaw’ motifs (cracks/shadows) dissolve as first worship is offered; the rite becomes whole and protected.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvedevāḥ
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly honoring divine witnesses sustains the integrity of ancestral rites and safeguards their fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, where sacred place and correct rite reinforce each other.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Satisfy the Viśvedevās with due offerings and worship them first so that ritual defects are removed.