Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

विभक्तिरहितं श्राद्धं क्रियते वा विपर्ययात् । अकृतं तद्विजानीयात्पितृणां नोपतिष्ठति

Transliteration

vibhaktirahitaṃ śrāddhaṃ kriyate vā viparyayāt | akṛtaṃ tadvijānīyātpitṛṇāṃ nopatiṣṭhati

Translation

หากประกอบศราทธะโดยปราศจากวิภัตติที่ถูกต้อง หรือเพราะความผิดพลาดใช้กลับกัน จงรู้ว่าพิธีนั้นประหนึ่งมิได้ทำเลย; ย่อมไม่ไปถึงและไม่ยังความพอใจแก่เหล่าปิตฤทั้งหลายโดยชอบ

Word by Word

• विभक्तिरहितम्: devoid of proper case-endings
• विभक्तिरहितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभक्तिरहित (प्रातिपदिक; विभक्ति + रहित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (श्राद्धम्)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु; √कृ)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• विपर्ययात्: from error/reversal
• विपर्ययात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपर्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• अकृतम्: as not done; unperformed
• अकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृ + क्त, नञ्-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used adjectivally)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विजानीयात्: should know/understand
• विजानीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु; √ज्ञा)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: वि-

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• उपतिष्ठति: attends/stands by; becomes available
• उपतिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु; √स्था)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: उप-

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A somber moment: offerings laid out, but the pitṛs depicted as distant, not receiving; the priest corrects a mistaken recitation, highlighting the consequence of reversed case-endings.

Characters & Entities

• śrāddha
• vibhakti
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Good intention must be matched by correct method; otherwise the offering fails to connect with the ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha must be performed with correct grammatical case-forms; errors or reversals render it ineffective for the Pitṛs.