Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारैस्तु गयायां पिंडपातने । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति सकृदस्मिञ्छ्रुते सति

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativāraistu gayāyāṃ piṃḍapātane | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti sakṛdasmiñchrute sati

Translation

Wer in Gayā einundzwanzigmal die Piṇḍa-Gabe (Reisbällchen) darbringt, erlangt deren Frucht; doch eben diese Frucht wird auch schon gewonnen, wenn man diese heilige Erzählung nur einmal hört.

Word by Word

• एकविंशतिवारैः: by twenty-one times
• एकविंशतिवारैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशति (प्रातिपदिक) + वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (एकविंशतेः वाराः)

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

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन

• पिण्डपातने: at the offering/placing of rice-balls (piṇḍa)
• पिण्डपातने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + पातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पिण्डस्य पातनम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (फलम् इति)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• समवाप्नोति: obtains/attains
• समवाप्नोति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अस्मिन्: in this (context)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; निर्देश (deictic)

• श्रुते: when (it is) heard
• श्रुते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘श्रुते’ = ‘श्रवणे कृते/श्रुतं सति’ (when heard)

• सति: being/when (it) is so
• सति: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; लोके सप्तमी (locative absolute)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: narrative voice typical for this stream of Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta-saṃvāda frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim offers piṇḍas on the sandy bank near Gayā while a sage recites the māhātmya; the verse’s ‘hearing once equals twenty-one offerings’ is shown as a luminous merit-scale above them.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa (piṇḍadāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to a tīrtha-māhātmya can grant merit comparable to performing major pilgrimage rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā, renowned for piṇḍadāna and ancestral offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍapātana/piṇḍadāna at Gayā, stated as performed twenty-one times.