Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तव पूजा विहीनानां दिनान्यायांति यांति च । यानि देव मृतानां च तानि यांति न जीवताम्

Transliteration

tava pūjā vihīnānāṃ dinānyāyāṃti yāṃti ca | yāni deva mṛtānāṃ ca tāni yāṃti na jīvatām

Translation

สำหรับผู้ที่ปราศจากการบูชาพระองค์ วันคืนของเขาเพียงมาแล้วก็ไป โอ้ เทวะ ดุจวันคืนของผู้ตาย วันเช่นนั้นมิใช่ของผู้มีชีวิตแท้จริง

Word by Word

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• pūjā: worship
• pūjā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vihīnānām: of those devoid (of worship)
• vihīnānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vihīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; 'विहीन' = devoid (qualifying persons)

• dināni: days
• dināni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• āyānti: come
• āyānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु: √yā/या)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; 'आयान्ति' = come

• yānti: go/pass
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु: √yā/या)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; 'यान्ति' = go/pass

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

• yāni: which (days)
• yāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• mṛtānām: of the dead
• mṛtānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त = dead

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

• tāni: those (days)
• tāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• yānti: go/pass
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु: √yā/या)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• jīvatām: of the living
• jīvatām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvat (प्रातिपदिक; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त = living (persons)

Speaker

Narrative voice within the Māhātmya (speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene contrast: on one side, a person neglects worship as days slip by like shadows; on the other, a devotee lights a lamp before Śiva, transforming the same time into luminous, meaningful life.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Śiva (implied by ‘Your worship’ in context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A life without devotion and worship is spiritually barren, equated to lifelessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-centered discourse of the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular pūjā (worship) is implied as essential devotional practice.