Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

प्रेतास्तस्य हि सुप्रीता यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम् । अन्नं वस्त्रं हिरण्यं च यो दद्यादग्रजन्मने

Transliteration

pretāstasya hi suprītā yāvadābhūtasamplavam | annaṃ vastraṃ hiraṇyaṃ ca yo dadyādagrajanmane

Translation

Wahrlich, seine dahingegangenen Ahnen bleiben höchst zufrieden bis zur kosmischen Auflösung. Wer einem Erstgeborenen (einem Brāhmaṇa) Speise, Gewand und Gold darbringt, erwirkt für sie diese dauernde Genugtuung.

Word by Word

• प्रेताः: departed spirits, pretas
• प्रेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• सुप्रीताः: very pleased
• सुप्रीताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- + प्रीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √प्री (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• यावत्: until, as long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative), परिमाण/अवधि (as long as/until)

• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: until the cosmic deluge
• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: Adhikarana (Temporal limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-भूत + सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक); आभूत (उपसर्ग+√भू + क्त) + सम्प्लव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (आभूतः सम्प्लवः = the deluge up to the end of beings)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वस्त्रम्: cloth, garment
• वस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हिरण्यम्: gold
• हिरण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अग्रजन्मने: to the first-born/elder (person)
• अग्रजन्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र-जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अग्रं जन्म यस्य = first-born/elder)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Revā Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (general)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the bank of the Revā, a householder offers food, folded cloth, and a small heap of gold to a seated brāhmaṇa; behind them, subtle ancestral figures appear serene, receiving the merit.

Characters & Entities

• pretāḥ
• ābhūtasamplava
• Brāhmaṇa (agrajanman)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed in a śrāddha spirit can bring enduring peace and satisfaction to one’s ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues the Someshvara-centered praise within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving food, clothing, and gold—especially to a qualified Brāhmaṇa—as part of śrāddha-related merit.