Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

पितॄनुद्दिश्य पिंडानां दातारो येऽत्र गालव । स्वर्गं प्रयांति ते सर्वे पितरश्चापि तर्प्पिताः

Transliteration

pitṝnuddiśya piṃḍānāṃ dātāro ye'tra gālava | svargaṃ prayāṃti te sarve pitaraścāpi tarppitāḥ

Translation

Diejenigen, die hier Piṇḍas darbringen, den Pitṛs zugedacht, o Gālava—sie alle gelangen in den Himmel, und auch die Ahnen werden gesättigt.

Word by Word

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄन्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• उद्दिश्य: having intended/with reference to
• उद्दिश्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग), अव्यय; ‘having addressed/with reference to’

• पिण्डानाम्: of the piṇḍa-offerings
• पिण्डानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• दातारः: givers
• दातारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• गालव: O Gālava
• गालव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati/Karman (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रयान्ति: go/attain
• प्रयान्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of ‘ते’)

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipāta (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/indeed)

• तर्प्पिताः: (are) satisfied/propitiated
• तर्प्पिताः: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √तृप् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having been satisfied/propitiated’

Speaker

Viṣṇu (implied; addressing Gālava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha (contextually at Dharmapuṣkariṇī)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame; not named in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene tīrtha-bank where a devotee offers rice-balls (piṇḍas) with kuśa grass and water-libations; subtle presence of satisfied Pitṛs receiving the offering; sacred water glows with tīrtha-tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Pitṛs
• Piṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes responsibility to one’s ancestors; tīrtha-based offerings are said to uplift both giver and Pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Setukhaṇḍa sacred site—Cakratīrtha/Dharmapuṣkariṇī—where piṇḍa offerings are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna dedicated to the Pitṛs (ancestral offering), resulting in svarga for the performer and tarpaṇa for ancestors.