Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यो हस्ते चासनं दद्याच्चेद्दार्भं बुद्धिवर्जितः । पितरो नासने तत्र प्रकुर्वंति निवेशनम्

Transliteration

yo haste cāsanaṃ dadyācceddārbhaṃ buddhivarjitaḥ | pitaro nāsane tatra prakurvaṃti niveśanam

Translation

หากผู้ใดไร้ความรู้ที่ถูกต้อง มอบอาสนะหญ้าดัรภะใส่มือ (โดยผิดวิธี) แล้ว ณ ที่นั้นเหล่าปิตฤทั้งหลายย่อมไม่ประทับนั่งบนอาสนะนั้น

Word by Word

• यः: who (he)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• हस्ते: in the hand
• हस्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• आसनम्: seat
• आसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दद्यāt: should give
• दद्यāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक निपात (conditional particle)

• दार्भम्: made of darbha / darbha-related
• दार्भम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दार्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'दर्भसम्बन्धि/दर्भमय' इति विशेषण (आसनम्)

• बुद्धिवर्जितः: devoid of understanding
• बुद्धिवर्जितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त, √वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'वर्जित' = deprived; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बुद्ध्या वर्जितः)

• पितरः: the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• आसने: on the seat
• आसने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: they make/do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• निवेशनम्: sitting/settling (a seat-taking)
• निवेशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवेशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (king) addressed in surrounding verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: a performer seated on kuśa, a darbha-āsana laid out before an unseen pitṛ-presence; the act of incorrectly placing the darbha-seat into a hand is shown as a ritual misstep, with the pitṛs remaining unseated.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• darbha-āsana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires mindful correctness; careless ritual acts are portrayed as ineffective in reaching the intended spiritual recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tirtha-oriented chapter, but it teaches general śrāddha conduct rather than praising one named place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not incorrectly hand over the darbha seat; otherwise the Pitṛs are said not to ‘sit’ or accept that arrangement.