Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

मंत्रक्रियाभ्यां यत्किचिद्रात्रौ दत्तं हुतं तथा । सक्रांतिसोमपर्वभ्यां व्यति रिक्तं तु कुत्सितम्

Transliteration

maṃtrakriyābhyāṃ yatkicidrātrau dattaṃ hutaṃ tathā | sakrāṃtisomaparvabhyāṃ vyati riktaṃ tu kutsitam

Translation

جو کچھ رات کے وقت منتر اور رسمِ عمل کے ساتھ دیا جائے یا آگ میں ہون کیا جائے—اگر وہ سنکرانتی اور سوم پَرو کے مواقع کے سوا ہو—تو وہ یقیناً قابلِ ملامت ہے۔

Word by Word

• mantra-kriyābhyām: by mantra and ritual action
• mantra-kriyābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन (Feminine, Instr., Dual)

• yat: whatever
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Relative pronoun; Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• kicit: anything at all
• kicit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kicit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite: 'anything/something')

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Feminine, Loc., Singular)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Qualifier of 'yat kicit'/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (दा धातु) → datta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• hutam: offered into fire
• hutam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Qualifier/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √hu (हु धातु) → huta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकार (and likewise/also)

• sa-krānti-soma-parvabhyām: from (the occasions of) Saṅkrānti and Soma-festival days
• sa-krānti-soma-parvabhyām: Karana/Apadana (Standard of exclusion/करण-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + krānti (प्रातिपदिक) + soma (प्रातिपदिक) + parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन (Neuter, Instr., Dual)

• vyatiriktam: excluded, apart from
• vyatiriktam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ati-√ric (रिच् धातु) → vyatirikta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थक/विरोध (but/indeed)

• kutsitam: blameworthy, censured
• kutsitam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kuts (कुत्स् धातु) → kutsita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha), addressing the Rākṣasa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rākṣasa (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night ritual by firelight: a priest chants mantras, offerings poised over flames; a calendar/astral cue shows it is not Saṅkrānti or Soma-parvan; the atmosphere carries a sense of ‘kutsita’ (censure), with watchful unseen forces.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rākṣasa
• Mantra
• Kriyā
• Homa
• Saṅkrānti
• Soma-parvan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing is part of right action; even mantra-backed rites can become blameworthy when performed at improper times.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader narrative context is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid night-time giving/oblations except on sanctioned occasions such as Saṅkrānti and Soma-parvan.