Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तर्पिताः सलिलेनैव किं पुनः पिंडदानतः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन स्नानं तत्र समाचरेत्

Transliteration

tarpitāḥ salilenaiva kiṃ punaḥ piṃḍadānataḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena snānaṃ tatra samācaret

Translation

إذا كان الأسلاف يرضَون بمجرد إراقة الماء تَرْبَنَة، فكم بالأولى عند تقديم قُرَبِ البِنْدَة (piṇḍa). لذلك فليجتهد المرء بكل وسعٍ في أداء الاغتسال هناك على الوجه اللائق.

Word by Word

• तर्पिताः: satiated/propitiated
• तर्पिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सलिलेन: with water
• सलिलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन, प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम

• पुनः: then / moreover
• पुनः: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्य (particle: again/further/more so)

• पिण्डदानतः: from (the act of) offering rice-balls
• पिण्डदानतः: Apadana (Source/Comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य दानम्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (ablatival adverb), पञ्चमी-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वः प्रयत्नः)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from immediate continuation in Adhyāya 16:1: “pulastya uvāca”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: a sage instructs the king while pilgrims perform tarpana—cupped hands pouring water—beside a kund; nearby, piṇḍas are arranged, underscoring ‘how much more’ merit.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple acts like water-offerings can please the ancestors, but greater ritual sincerity—especially tīrtha-snānā and piṇḍa-dāna—multiplies merit; therefore, prioritize sacred bathing with full effort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks of “that place” (tatra) within Arbuda-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha context; the immediately following passage moves toward the renowned Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa with water, piṇḍa-dāna, and a strong injunction to perform tīrtha-snānā (ritual bathing) there.