Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 131

Devanagari script

तिलसंमिश्रतोयेन तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । पिण्डदानेन च पित्ःन् पैण्डरीकफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tilasaṃmiśratoyena tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ | piṇḍadānena ca pitḥn paiṇḍarīkaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Mit Wasser, das mit Sesam vermischt ist, soll man den Ahnengottheiten die Tarpana‑Spende darbringen; so werden die Pitṛs gesättigt. Und durch die Gabe von Piṇḍas an die Vorfahren erlangt man das Verdienst, das als die Frucht „Paiṇḍarīka“ bekannt ist.

Word by Word

• तिलसंमिश्रतोयेन: with water mixed with sesame
• तिलसंमिश्रतोयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलसंमिश्रतोय (प्रातिपदिक; तिल + संमिश्र + तोय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/षष्ठी-भावः: तिलैः संमिश्रं तोयम्)

• तर्पयेत्: should satisfy/offer libations to
• तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पितृदेवताः: the Pitṛ-deities (ancestors)
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृदेवता (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ + देवता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘पितर एव देवताः’/‘ancestral deities’)

• पिण्डदानेन: by offering rice-balls (piṇḍa)
• पिण्डदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्डदान (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पिण्डस्य दानम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

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

• पैण्डरीकफलम्: the fruit called ‘Paiṇḍarīka’ (reward)
• पैण्डरीकफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पैण्डरीकफल (प्रातिपदिक; पैण्डरीक + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पैण्डरीकस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jvāleśvara sangama (pitṛ-kriyā tīrtha)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims on a riverbank perform tarpaṇa: hands cupped, sesame floating in water; nearby, piṇḍas placed on darbha with offerings; subtle presence of satisfied pitṛs in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pitṛdevatās
• Piṇḍa
• Tila (sesame)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the ancestors through prescribed offerings is a dhārmic act that yields specific spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha context of Revā Khaṇḍa, where ancestral rites are praised as highly fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa using sesame-mixed water and piṇḍa-dāna to the ancestors.