Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारांश्च गयायां पिंडपातनैः । भक्त्या तृप्तिमवाप्नोति लोहयष्ट्यां पितृतर्प्पणे

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārāṃśca gayāyāṃ piṃḍapātanaiḥ | bhaktyā tṛptimavāpnoti lohayaṣṭyāṃ pitṛtarppaṇe

Translation

وفي غايا، بإلقاء قُرابين البِنْدَا (piṇḍa) إحدى وعشرين مرة، ينال المرءُ رضا (الأسلاف) بالعبادة الخاشعة—وخاصةً في طقس تَرْبَنَة الأسلاف (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) عند لُوهَيَشْتِي (Lohayaṣṭī).

Word by Word

• एकविंशतिवारान्: twenty-one times/occasions
• एकविंशतिवारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (count/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (एकविंशतिः वाराः)

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

• गयायाम्: at Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पिण्डपातनैः: by the act(s) of offering/dropping piṇḍas
• पिण्डपातनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + पातन (प्रातिपदिक; √पत्/√पत् caus. √पातय्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य पातनम्)

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

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अवाप्नोति: attains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• लोहयष्ट्याम्: at/with the iron staff (place named Lohayaṣṭī)
• लोहयष्ट्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह (प्रातिपदिक) + यष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (लोहस्य यष्टिः)

• पितृतर्प्पणे: in the rite of ancestor-satiation (pitṛ-tarpaṇa)
• पितृतर्प्पणे: Adhikarana (Topic/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; √तृप् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां तर्पणम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā; Lohayaṣṭī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Gayā’s riverbank/ghāṭa, a devotee repeatedly casts rice piṇḍas into water while a priest guides tarpaṇa; a marker shrine/stone indicates Lohayaṣṭī; pitṛs appear as subtle luminous presences.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Lohayaṣṭī
• Pitṛ-tarpaṇa
• Piṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion combined with disciplined ritual performance at a famed tīrtha yields assured ancestral fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā, with a specific ritual locus named Lohayaṣṭī for pitṛ-tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform piṇḍa-pātana twenty-one times at Gayā, in connection with pitṛ-tarpaṇa at Lohayaṣṭī.