Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

गतः सोऽपि सुरश्रेष्ठः स्वस्थानं सुरसेवितम् । तत्र प्रेता दिवं यांति तर्पणेन प्रतर्पिताः

Transliteration

gataḥ so'pi suraśreṣṭhaḥ svasthānaṃ surasevitam | tatra pretā divaṃ yāṃti tarpaṇena pratarpitāḥ

Translation

Auch jener Beste der Götter ging in seine eigene, von den Devas bediente Wohnstatt. Dort gelangen die Seelen der Verstorbenen zum Himmel, wenn sie durch Tarpaṇa, das Wasseropfer, gesättigt werden.

Word by Word

• गतः: went/has gone
• गतः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — PPP used adjectivally, Masculine, Nom., Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ-अव्यय (also/even)

• सुरश्रेष्ठः: best of the gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• स्वस्थानम्: his own abode
• स्वस्थानम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (स्वं स्थानम्)

• सुरसेवितम्: served/attended by gods
• सुरसेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवित (सेव् धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (सुरैः सेवितम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

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

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present indicative, 3rd person, Plural

• तर्पणेन: by the offering of water (tarpaṇa)
• तर्पणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रतर्पिताः: satiated/propitiated
• प्रतर्पिताः: Karta (Qualified subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-तृप्/तर्प् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — PPP, Masculine, Nom., Plural; विशेषण (qualifying pretāḥ)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣa-tīrtha (tarpaṇa-pradhāna)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the tīrtha’s water edge, a pilgrim offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle ancestral forms are shown becoming serene and ascending toward a luminous heaven-path.

Characters & Entities

• Suraśreṣṭha (deity)
• Preta (departed spirits)
• Tarpaṇa
• Svarga (Heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate rites for the departed, performed at a sanctified tīrtha, are said to uplift ancestors and wandering spirits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The newly established Mokṣatīrtha/Mukteśa-associated area in Dharmāraṇya, where tarpaṇa bears special fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa (water-offerings/oblations) for pretas/pitṛs is explicitly praised as leading them to heaven.