Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कार्यं स्त्रीभिश्च शूद्रैश्च ह्यमंत्रं पंचयज्ञकम् । पंचयज्ञैश्च संतुष्टा यथैषां पितृदेवताः

Transliteration

kāryaṃ strībhiśca śūdraiśca hyamaṃtraṃ paṃcayajñakam | paṃcayajñaiśca saṃtuṣṭā yathaiṣāṃ pitṛdevatāḥ

Translation

สตรีและศูทรก็ควรกระทำปัญจยัญญะโดยไม่ต้องมีมนต์; ด้วยปัญจยัญญะเหล่านี้ เทพแห่งบรรพชน (ปิตฤเทวตา) ของเขาย่อมพอใจตามควร

Word by Word

• कार्यम्: to be done
• कार्यम्: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक); कार्य < √कृ (कृ धातु) + यत् (gerundive)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; यत्-कृत्य (gerundive: ‘to be done’)

• स्त्रीभिः: by women
• स्त्रीभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (कर्ता/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• शूद्रैः: by Śūdras
• शूद्रैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (कर्ता/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (indeed/for)

• अमंत्रम्: without mantra
• अमंत्रम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (मन्त्रं न)

• पंचयज्ञकम्: the set of five sacrifices
• पंचयज्ञकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + यज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च यज्ञाः) + क-प्रत्यय (collective)

• पंचयज्ञैः: by the five sacrifices
• पंचयज्ञैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• संतुष्टाः: satisfied
• संतुष्टाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-√तुष् (तुष् धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• एषाम्: of these (people)
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• पितृदेवताः: the ancestral deities
• पितृदेवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (पितरः देवताः यस्याः/पितृदेवताः = पितृ-सम्बन्धिन्यः देवताः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced for Nāgarakhaṇḍa māhātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Women and Śūdras at a riverbank performing simple offerings: bathing, pouring water with folded hands in remembrance, lighting a small lamp/fire, welcoming a traveler-guest; pitṛ-devatās shown as subtle ancestral presences receiving satisfaction.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sustained through accessible daily duties; sincere performance, even without mantras, brings ancestral satisfaction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it provides dharma-guidance within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcayajña should be performed in an amaṃtraka (non-mantric) form by women and Śūdras.