Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

स्वजातीयेभ्य आदाय तर्पयिष्यामि तान्पितॄन्

Transliteration

svajātīyebhya ādāya tarpayiṣyāmi tānpitṝn

Translation

Indem ich (diese Gaben) von meinen eigenen Verwandten nehme, werde ich jene Väter-Ahnen (pitṛs) durch das Tarpaṇa zufriedenstellen.

Word by Word

• स्वजातीयेभ्यः: from (people) of my own community
• स्वजातीयेभ्यः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + जातीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (5th/Ablative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (स्वजातीयेभ्यः = from one’s own caste/kin)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• तर्पयिष्यामि: I will satisfy/offer libations to
• तर्पयिष्यामि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तृप् (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative (तर्पय-); लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचनम्

• पितॄन्: ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

First-person narrator within the story (identity not explicit in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-uttamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee speaks an inner vow: ‘I shall satisfy the Fathers’; offerings are shown being gathered from kinsmen/community, emphasizing collective support for ancestral rites.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One should actively undertake pitṛ duties, even using modest resources obtained through rightful means and community support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it remains within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa for the pitṛs, supported by collected offerings.