Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारन्तु गयायां पिंड पातने । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति सकृदस्मिञ्छ्रुते सति

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārantu gayāyāṃ piṃḍa pātane | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti sakṛdasmiñchrute sati

Translation

Die Frucht, die man durch einundzwanzigmaliges Darbringen von Piṇḍas in Gayā erlangt, wird schon durch einmaliges Hören hiervon gewonnen.

Word by Word

• एकविंशतिवारम्: twenty-one times
• एकविंशतिवारम्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशति-वार (प्रातिपदिक; एकविंशतिः वाराः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (measure of repetition)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात; ‘but/indeed’

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• पिण्डपातने: in the offering of piṇḍa-balls
• पिण्डपातने: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-पातन (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्डस्य पातनम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular (in the act of offering/dropping piṇḍa)

• तत्फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-फल (प्रातिपदिक; तस्य फलम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• समवाप्नोति: attains completely
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘attains fully’

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/परिमाणार्थक-अव्यय; ‘once’

• अस्मिन्: in this (text/teaching)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular ‘in this’

• श्रुते: when it has been heard
• श्रुते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रुत (कृदन्त; श्रु धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative absolute with सति

• सति: when (it) is (the case)
• सति: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सत् (कृदन्त; अस् धातु + शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘being/when’ (locative absolute)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā (benchmark); Lohayaṣṭī/Lohāsura māhātmya (effective cause)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic scale: on one side, a pilgrim repeatedly offering piṇḍas at Gayā; on the other, a listener hearing the māhātmya once—both sides balanced, indicating equal merit.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Śravaṇa (hearing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred hearing (śravaṇa) of an authentic māhātmya can bestow pilgrimage-level merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is used as the benchmark for ancestor-rite potency; the local Dharmāraṇya tīrtha is implied as comparable through its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite—this is a phalaśruti: hearing once yields the fruit of repeated Gayā piṇḍa offerings.