Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

कल्पकोटिसहस्राणि पितरस्तेन तर्पिताः

Transliteration

kalpakoṭisahasrāṇi pitarastena tarpitāḥ

Translation

وبذلك الفعل تُرضى الأسلاف وتُسقَى أرواحُهم لآلافِ الكُرور من الكَلْپات (kalpa).

Word by Word

• कल्पकोटिसहस्राणि: thousands of crores of kalpas
• कल्पकोटिसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प + कोटि + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन = nominative plural; परिमाण/संख्या-वाचक समास (कल्प-कोटि-सहस्र = thousands of crores of kalpas)

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन = nominative plural

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन = instrumental singular; refers to the doer/act mentioned

• तर्पिताः: were satisfied (propitiated)
• तर्पिताः: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तृप् (धातु; कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used as finite passive sense; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः = ‘were satisfied’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; continuation of the previous verse’s ritual result)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: As the devotee offers water, translucent ancestral figures (pitṛs) appear above the riverbank, receiving the offering with calm satisfaction; the scene conveys vast time—stars or a cosmic backdrop subtly layered behind the river.

Characters & Entities

• Pitaras (Ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-based offerings can generate extraordinary, long-lasting spiritual benefit for one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Śuklatīrtha, as the fruit statement continues the preceding instruction about offerings there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The effect (phala) of tarpaṇa-like offering is stated: ancestors are immensely satisfied.