Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन योग्यं विप्रं समाश्रयेत् । नरकान्मोचयेत्प्रेतान्कुम्भीपाकपुरोगमान्

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena yogyaṃ vipraṃ samāśrayet | narakānmocayetpretānkumbhīpākapurogamān

Translation

Darum soll man sich mit allem Bemühen an einen geeigneten Vipra (Brāhmaṇa) halten; so können die Verstorbenen aus den Höllen—Kumbhīpāka und dergleichen—erlöst werden, die vor ihnen liegen.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्राय (तस्मात् इति तद्धित/सर्वनाम-रूपम्); हेत्वर्थक/तस्मादर्थे (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

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

• योग्यम्: worthy
• योग्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (विप्रम्)

• विप्रम्: a Brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाश्रयेत्: should resort to / take refuge in
• समाश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रि (धातु) (सम्-आ- उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• नरकान्: from hells
• नरकान्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• मोचयेत्: should free, release
• मोचयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु) (णिच् causative: मोचय-)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त (causative)

• प्रेतान्: departed spirits
• प्रेतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• कुम्भीपाकपुरोगमान्: those led by (the hell) Kumbhīpāka
• कुम्भीपाकपुरोगमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुम्भीपाक + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुम्भीपाकः पुरोगमः येषाम्) विशेषण (प्रेतान्)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate climax: the yajamāna honors a qualified brāhmaṇa; above, ancestral spirits are shown being lifted from dark naraka imagery (Kumbhīpāka suggested as a cauldron-hell) into light, guided by the merit of the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Preta
• Naraka
• Kumbhīpāka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rightly performed ancestral rites can uplift the departed, even rescuing them from fearful post-mortem states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa context links these rites to the sacred merit of the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Engage a competent brāhmaṇa for pitṛ-kārya so that the departed may be released from narakas such as Kumbhīpāka.