Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

केदारे सलिलं पीत्वा गयापिडं प्रदाय च । ब्रह्मज्ञानमथासाद्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते

Transliteration

kedāre salilaṃ pītvā gayāpiḍaṃ pradāya ca | brahmajñānamathāsādya punarjanma na vidyate

Translation

Wer das Wasser in Kedāra trinkt und in Gayā den Piṇḍa darbringt und dann die Erkenntnis Brahmans erlangt—für den gibt es keine Wiedergeburt mehr.

Word by Word

• केदारे: at Kedāra
• केदारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सलिलम्: water
• सलिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — Gerund (absolutive): “having drunk”

• गयापिण्डम्: the Gayā piṇḍa (funeral offering)
• गयापिण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गया- पिण्ड); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रदाय: having offered
• प्रदाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) प्र-उपसर्ग
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-भाव) अव्ययकृदन्त — Gerund: “having given/offered”

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

• ब्रह्मज्ञानम्: knowledge of Brahman
• ब्रह्मज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्म-ज्ञान); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequencer/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तरार्थक/क्रमसूचक) — indeclinable “then/thereupon”

• आसाद्य: having attained
• आसाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सद् (धातु) आ-उपसर्ग
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — Gerund: “having attained/obtained”

• पुनर्जन्म: rebirth
• पुनर्जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनर् (अव्यय) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation particle

• विद्यते: exists; is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Existential/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (धातु) (सत्तायाम्; ‘to exist’)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present indicative, 3rd person singular, ātmanepada

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) citing Nārada’s utterance (deduced from prior verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra; Gayā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim drinks sacred water at Kedāra amid snowy peaks, then performs piṇḍa-dāna at Gayā on a riverbank with priests; the scene culminates in a serene meditative vision of Brahman (inner light).

Characters & Entities

• Kedāra
• Gayā
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and ancestral duty culminate in the highest aim: Brahman-realization, which ends the cycle of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra (for its sacred water) and Gayā (for piṇḍa offerings), presented as powerful tīrthas within Purāṇic sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking Kedāra tīrtha-water and performing piṇḍa-dāna at Gayā; the verse also points toward brahma-jñāna as the final attainment.