Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

यथा गयायां तृप्ताः स्युः पिंडदाने पितामहाः । धर्मतीर्थे तथैव स्युर्न न्यूनं नैव चाधिकम्

Transliteration

yathā gayāyāṃ tṛptāḥ syuḥ piṃḍadāne pitāmahāḥ | dharmatīrthe tathaiva syurna nyūnaṃ naiva cādhikam

Translation

Wie in Gayā die Ahnen durch die Darbringung von Piṇḍas zufrieden werden, so werden sie auch am Dharma-tīrtha zufrieden—weder geringer noch größer; die Frucht ist gleich.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/manner)

• गयायां: in Gayā
• गयायां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तृप्ताः: satisfied
• तृप्ताः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛpta (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्यय from √tṛp)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्युः: may be/would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• पिंडदाने: in the offering of piṇḍas
• पिंडदाने: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पितामहाः: the grandfathers/ancestors
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• धर्मतीर्थे: at the Dharma-tīrtha
• धर्मतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: so
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), तदनुरूप/प्रकारवाचक (so/in that manner)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/only)

• स्युः: may be/would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निषेध (negation particle)

• न्यूनं: less/deficient
• न्यूनं: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nyūna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• अधिकम्: more/excess
• अधिकम्: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-tīrtha (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Balanced composition: on one side Gayā’s piṇḍa-dāna at Phalgū; on the other Dharma-tīrtha in Kāśī; a scale motif or symmetrical layout conveys ‘neither less nor more’; forefathers appear equally satisfied in both halves.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Dharma-tīrtha
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Pitāmahāḥ (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True pitr̥-sevā (service to ancestors) depends on sacred intent and dharmic rite; Kāśī’s Dharma-tīrtha is declared fully equivalent to Gayā for this purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-tīrtha in Kāśī, explicitly equated with Gayā for piṇḍa-dāna outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna (offering of piṇḍas) to satisfy the ancestors.