Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

त्रेतायां पंच दिवसैर्द्वापरे त्रिदिनेन तु । एकचित्तेन यो विप्राः पिंडं दद्यात्कलौ युगे

Transliteration

tretāyāṃ paṃca divasairdvāpare tridinena tu | ekacittena yo viprāḥ piṃḍaṃ dadyātkalau yuge

Translation

Im Tretā-Zeitalter bedarf es fünf Tage, im Dvāpara drei; doch im Kali-Yuga, o Brahmanen, erlangt, wer den piṇḍa mit einspitzigem Geist darbringt, die Frucht rasch.

Word by Word

• tretāyām: in the Tretā (age)
• tretāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular)

• pañca: five
• pañca: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याशब्द (numeral), अव्ययवत्; विशेषण (qualifying divasaiḥ)

• divasaiḥ: by (means of) days / within days
• divasaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• dvāpare: in the Dvāpara (age)
• dvāpare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular)

• tridinena: by a three-day (period)
• tridinena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental singular); द्विगु (‘three-day period’)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारः: अवधारण/विरोध (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• eka-cittena: with single-mindedness
• eka-cittena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental singular); कर्मधारय (‘with single-minded mind’), विशेषण (qualifying agent’s manner)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• viprāḥ: O brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-बहुवचन (Vocative plural)

• piṇḍam: rice-ball (piṇḍa)
• piṇḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• kalau: in the Kali (age)
• kalau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular)

• yuge: in the age/era
• yuge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular)

Speaker

Vyāsa (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmavāpī / Dharmāraṇya context

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprāḥ (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A triptych-like visualization of yugas: Tretā with extended multi-day śrāddha camp, Dvāpara with shorter rite, and Kali with a single focused offering—one devotee with intense concentration placing a piṇḍa, radiance indicating swift fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Tretāyuga
• Dvāparayuga
• Kaliyuga
• Brāhmaṇas
• Piṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, inner sincerity and focused intention can compensate for shortened or simplified ritual duration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding context remains Dharmāraṇya/Dharmavāpī, where such rites are described as fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍadāna performed with ekacitta (single-pointed mind), contrasted with longer observances in earlier yugas.