Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

देवशर्मोवाच । एवं कुरु नृपश्रेष्ठ श्राद्धेऽहं ते पितुः स्वयम् । ब्राह्मणः संभविष्यामि तस्माच्छ्राद्धं समाचर

Transliteration

devaśarmovāca | evaṃ kuru nṛpaśreṣṭha śrāddhe'haṃ te pituḥ svayam | brāhmaṇaḥ saṃbhaviṣyāmi tasmācchrāddhaṃ samācara

Translation

เทวศรมันกล่าวว่า: “จงทำเช่นนั้นเถิด โอ้ราชาผู้ประเสริฐ ในพิธีศราทธะเพื่อบิดาของท่าน เราเองจักเป็นพราหมณ์ (ผู้รับ/ผู้ประกอบ) ดังนั้นจงประกอบศราทธะเถิด”

Word by Word

• devaśarmā: Devaśarmā
• devaśarmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devaśarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nṛpa-śreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpa-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (śreṣṭho nṛpaḥ)

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• pituḥ: of (your) father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• svayam: personally
• svayam: Prayojaka (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आत्मवाचक/स्वयम्-शब्दः (emphatic)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• saṃbhaviṣyāmi: I will become / I will be
• saṃbhaviṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (ablatival adverb)

• śrāddham: śrāddha (rite)
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samācara: perform
• samācara: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Devaśarman

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgahrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devaśarman, composed and compassionate, assures the king that he himself will act as the brāhmaṇa in the śrāddha for the king’s father; ritual space is prepared with kuśa, tila, and piṇḍas.

Characters & Entities

• Devaśarman
• Viṣṇusena
• Father of Viṣṇusena
• Nāgahrada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual efficacy depends on proper dharmic mediation—here, a qualified brāhmaṇa agrees to carry the śrāddha through.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The śrāddha is to be performed in the Nāgahrada context of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha, with Devaśarman acting as the brāhmaṇa participant/recipient in the rite for the king’s father.