Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कमलानि गृहीत्वा तु ततः स्नानं समाचरत् । तर्पयित्वा पितृदेवान्मनुष्यांश्च यथाविधि

Transliteration

kamalāni gṛhītvā tu tataḥ snānaṃ samācarat | tarpayitvā pitṛdevānmanuṣyāṃśca yathāvidhi

Translation

Nachdem er Lotusblumen genommen hatte, vollzog er das rituelle Bad; und nach der rechten Vorschrift darbrachte er Wasserspenden zur Befriedigung der Pitṛs, der Devas und auch der Menschen.

Word by Word

• कमलानि: lotuses
• कमलानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having taken)

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (then)

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

• समाचरत्: performed
• समाचरत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तर्पयित्वा: having satisfied (with offerings)
• तर्पयित्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप्/तर्प् (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) + क्त्वान्त (absolutive); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having satisfied/offered libations to)

• पितृदेवान्: the ancestors and the gods
• पितृदेवान्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (पितरश्च देवाश्च)

• मनुष्यान्: humans/people
• मनुष्यान्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यथाविधि: according to the prescribed rite
• यथाविधि: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (according to rule)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed divya-saras (lotus lake)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame listener not specified here

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king stands waist-deep in clear water holding lotus flowers; on the bank are arranged simple offerings. He performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands, water streaming back into the lake, posture composed and reverent.

Characters & Entities

• Citrasena
• Pitṛs
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice unites personal purification with gratitude—honoring ancestors, gods, and society through ordained rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The divine lake (sarovara) encountered in the Revā Khaṇḍa, presented as fit for snāna and tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing) and tarpaṇa to Pitṛs, Devas, and humans, performed yathā-vidhi (as prescribed).