Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

श्राद्धकाले नरो भक्त्या यश्चैतत्पठति स्वयम् । स गयाश्राद्धजं कृत्स्नं फलमाप्नोत्यसंशयम्

Transliteration

śrāddhakāle naro bhaktyā yaścaitatpaṭhati svayam | sa gayāśrāddhajaṃ kṛtsnaṃ phalamāpnotyasaṃśayam

Translation

ผู้ใดในกาลประกอบศราทธะ สวดบทนี้ด้วยศรัทธาด้วยตนเอง ผู้นั้นย่อมได้บุญผลทั้งสิ้นเสมือนทำศราทธะ ณ คยา โดยไม่ต้องสงสัย

Word by Word

• श्राद्धकाले: at the time of śrāddha
• श्राद्धकाले: अधिकरण (Locative/स्थान-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध-काल (प्रातिपदिक; श्राद्ध + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य कालः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: करण (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

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

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एतत्: this (text/thing)
• एतत्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पठति: recites/reads
• पठति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्वयम्: by himself
• स्वयम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्वकृत्य-निर्देशक (adverb: oneself)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative pronoun)

• गयाश्राद्धजम्: arising from the Gayā-śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धजम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of फलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गया-श्राद्ध-ज (प्रातिपदिक; गया + श्राद्ध + ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गयायां श्राद्धात् जातम्)

• कृत्स्नम्: entire/complete
• कृत्स्नम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of फलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असंशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् अव्यय (adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā (as comparative phala); local Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrtha implied

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at a śrāddha setting recites a sacred passage with folded hands; pitṛs are envisioned receiving offerings; a distant silhouette of Gayā’s sacred landscape appears as a symbolic comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional recitation connected to a tīrtha-māhātmya can confer pilgrimage-level merit when aligned with ritual time (śrāddha-kāla).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is referenced as the benchmark for śrāddha merit, while the recited content pertains to Rāmahrada’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha time, recite this māhātmya/devotional passage to gain the full fruit akin to Gayā-śrāddha.