Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

पित्ःनुद्दिश्य यः स्नात्वा पिण्डनिर्वपणं नृप । कुरुते द्वादशाब्दानि तृप्यन्ति तत्पितामहाः

Transliteration

pitḥnuddiśya yaḥ snātvā piṇḍanirvapaṇaṃ nṛpa | kurute dvādaśābdāni tṛpyanti tatpitāmahāḥ

Translation

أيها الملك، من اغتسل (في هذا الموضع المقدّس) ثم قدّم قُرابين البِنْدا (piṇḍa) مُهديًا الشعيرة إلى الأسلاف، فإن واظب على ذلك اثنتي عشرة سنة ارتضى أجداده، ولا سيّما أجداد السلالة، رضًا تامًّا.

Word by Word

• पितॄन्: the ancestors/fathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative/2nd, Plural)

• उद्दिश्य: intending/for (the sake of)
• उद्दिश्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• पिण्डनिर्वपणम्: offering of rice-balls (piṇḍa-offering)
• पिण्डनिर्वपणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-निर्वपण (प्रातिपदिक); पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्वपण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √वप्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative/2nd, Singular)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया/प्रथमा बहुवचन-समन्वय (numeral adjective agreeing with 'abda')

• अब्दानि: years
• अब्दानि: Karma (Extent of time/कालाधिकरण-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative/2nd, Plural)

• तृप्यन्ति: are satisfied
• तृप्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Plural, Parasmaipada)

• तत्: his
• तत्: Qualifier within compound
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे पूर्वपद (pronominal determiner: 'of him/that')

• पितामहाः: grandfathers/forefathers
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative/1st, Plural)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate section flow; explicit speaker appears in next adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāvitrī-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a riverbank altar, the kingly patron watches a devotee after bathing offer three piṇḍas on darbha, with water-libations; subtle ancestral figures appear satisfied in the background, receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• pitṛs (ancestors)
• nṛpa (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-sevā through śrāddha and piṇḍa offerings, especially when done at a tīrtha, brings deep ancestral satisfaction and dharmic merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Revā Khaṇḍa context, the verse praises the power of bathing and śrāddha performed at a Revā/Narmadā-associated tīrtha mentioned in the surrounding passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bath) followed by piṇḍa-nirvapaṇa (piṇḍa offering) dedicated to the ancestors, ideally continued as a long-term observance (twelve years).