Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पितॄनुद्दिश्य यो मर्त्यश्चातुर्मास्येऽन्नदो भवेत् । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा पितृलोकमवामुयात्

Transliteration

pitṝnuddiśya yo martyaścāturmāsye'nnado bhavet | sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā pitṛlokamavāmuyāt

Translation

Wer als Sterblicher in den Monaten des Cāturmāsya den Pitṛs (Ahnen) zugedacht Speise spendet, dessen Seele wird von allen Sünden gereinigt und er gelangt in die Welt der Ahnen.

Word by Word

• पितॄन्: the forefathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• उद्दिश्य: intending; dedicating (to)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having intended/aimed at’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative of time

• अन्न-दः: giver of food
• अन्न-दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अन्नं ददाति इति)

• भवेत्: may become; would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्व-पाप-विशुद्ध-आत्मा: one whose self is purified of all sins
• सर्व-पाप-विशुद्ध-आत्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; √शुध् (धातु) से) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्यान्तःकरणं सर्वपापैः विशुद्धम्)

• पितृ-लोकम्: the world of the forefathers
• पितृ-लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां लोकः)

• अवामुयात्: may attain; should reach
• अवामुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आ-√मु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should reach/attain’

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator addressing Devarṣi Nārada (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder in monsoon season makes a pitṛ-saṅkalpa and serves food to guests/poor, with subtle presence of ancestral figures receiving the offering in a luminous, unseen realm.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pitṛloka
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity dedicated to ancestors becomes a pitr-yajña: it purifies sin and is said to lead to Pitṛloka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse centers on ancestral intention and the sacred season of Cāturmāsya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform annadāna in Cāturmāsya with explicit dedication to the Pitṛs (ancestor-intent charity).