Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

वेदज्ञे ब्राह्मणे भुक्ते द्वितीयायां महालये । विंशत्कल्प सहस्राणि पितरो यांति तृप्तताम्

Transliteration

vedajñe brāhmaṇe bhukte dvitīyāyāṃ mahālaye | viṃśatkalpa sahasrāṇi pitaro yāṃti tṛptatām

Translation

Wenn am Mahālaya des zweiten Tithi ein vedakundiger Brāhmaṇa gespeist wird, erlangen die Ahnen Zufriedenheit für zwanzigtausend Kalpas.

Word by Word

• वेदज्ञे: in/with a Veda-knowing
• वेदज्ञे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: वेद + ज्ञ; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. loc. sg.)

• ब्राह्मणे: in/with a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.)

• भुक्ते: when (food is) eaten / after feeding
• भुक्ते: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुक्त (कृदन्त; √भुज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• द्वितीयायाम्: on the second
• द्वितीयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. loc. sg.)

• महालये: at Mahālaya (rite/occasion)
• महालये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: महा + आलय; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. loc. sg.)

• विंशत्कल्प: twenty kalpas (as a measure)
• विंशत्कल्प: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: विंशत् + कल्प; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यापूर्वक-द्विगु-समास; विशेषण (neut. nom./acc. pl.)

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neut. nom./acc. pl.)

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl.)

• यान्ति: go/attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• तृप्तताम्: satisfaction, contentment
• तृप्तताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्तता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Veda-knowing brāhmaṇa is honored and fed on Dvitīyā Mahālaya; in subtle celestial imagery, ancestors become satisfied for ‘twenty thousand kalpas’.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇa
• Dvitīyā-tithi
• Mahālaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring learned brāhmaṇas within śrāddha magnifies the benefit to one’s ancestors over vast cosmic durations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra (Setukhaṇḍa) as the pilgrimage context for Mahālaya śrāddha efficacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Dvitīyā during Mahālaya, perform śrāddha including brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding a Veda-knower).