Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तत्र श्राद्धं च यः कुर्यादेकादश्यामुपोषितः । स पितॄनुद्धरे त्सर्वान्नरकेभ्यो न संशयः

Transliteration

tatra śrāddhaṃ ca yaḥ kuryādekādaśyāmupoṣitaḥ | sa pitṝnuddhare tsarvānnarakebhyo na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Wer am Ekādaśī fastet und an jenem heiligen Ort das Śrāddha vollzieht, der erlöst gewiss alle seine Ahnen aus den Höllenwelten; daran besteht kein Zweifel.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there; in that place
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of place)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite (funeral offering)
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन

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

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक relative pronoun

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकादश्याम्: on the eleventh (Ekādaśī) day
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• उपोषितः: having fasted
• उपोषितः: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-उष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fasting)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन; संकेतक pronoun

• पितṝन्: the forefathers
• पितṝन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• उद्धरेत्: should rescue; would lift out
• उद्धरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (पितॄन्)

• नरकेभ्यः: from the hells
• नरकेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन

• न: not; no
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya-tīrtha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained pilgrim, having fasted, performs śrāddha beside a sacred ford under forest shade; pitṛs appear subtly as luminous ancestors being lifted from dark nether realms by the rite’s merit.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Ekādaśī
• Śrāddha
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fasting on Ekādaśī and offering Śrāddha in a tīrtha context becomes a powerful act of compassion that uplifts one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to the Dharmāraṇya sacred region (“tatra”), continuing the local māhātmya of that tīrtha-setting in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe an Ekādaśī fast (upoṣaṇa) and perform Śrāddha for the Pitṛs at the sacred place.