Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

पिण्डोदकप्रदानाभ्यामृते पार्थ न संशयः । एवं ज्ञात्वा प्रयत्नेन पिण्डोदकप्रदो भवेत्

Transliteration

piṇḍodakapradānābhyāmṛte pārtha na saṃśayaḥ | evaṃ jñātvā prayatnena piṇḍodakaprado bhavet

Translation

Oh Pārtha, ohne Darbringung von piṇḍa (Toten-Reisbällchen) und udaka (Wasserlibationen) besteht kein Zweifel, dass man seiner Pflicht nicht genügt. Dies erkennend, soll man sich mit Eifer bemühen, ein Spender von piṇḍa und udaka zu werden.

Word by Word

• पिण्डोदकप्रदानाभ्याम्: by the offering of rice-balls and water
• पिण्डोदकप्रदानाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), द्विवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पिण्डस्य उदकस्य च प्रदानम्)

• ऋते: without, except
• ऋते: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऋते (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद-निपातः (वर्जने) = ‘विना/except’

• पार्थ: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपातः

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातुः—ज्ञा (जानने)

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पिण्डोदकप्रदः: a giver of rice-balls and water
• पिण्डोदकप्रदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पिण्डोदकं प्रददाति इति)

• भवेत्: should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator addressing a royal/epic-style listener as 'Pārtha')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (contextual tīrtha-field of Revākhaṇḍa)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim on a riverbank forms rice-balls (piṇḍa) on darbha grass, pours udaka with a small vessel, facing south in solemn remembrance of ancestors.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha
• Piṇḍa
• Udaka
• Pitṛs (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-duty is not optional; piṇḍa and udaka offerings are central acts of dharma that sustain ancestral wellbeing and one’s own merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself does not name a site, but the surrounding Revā Khaṇḍa context points to Narmadā tīrthas as ideal settings for pitṛ offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering piṇḍa (rice-ball oblations) and udaka (water libations) as part of śrāddha/tarpaṇa for ancestors.