Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मदीयाः पितरो ये च कुले जाताः सनाभयः । तेषां पिण्डप्रदाताऽहमागतोऽस्मिन्पितामहाः

Transliteration

madīyāḥ pitaro ye ca kule jātāḥ sanābhayaḥ | teṣāṃ piṇḍapradātā'hamāgato'sminpitāmahāḥ

Translation

O Ahnengroßväter (pitāmaha)! Zu jenen meinen Vorfahren, die in dieser Sippe geboren wurden, Verwandte desselben Geschlechts, bin ich hierher gekommen als Spender der Piṇḍas, der rituellen Reisbällchen für die Ahnen.

Word by Word

• मदीयाः: my
• मदीयाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मदीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (पितरः)

• पितरः: ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ये: who
• ये: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• कुले: in the lineage/family
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• जाताः: born
• जाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ये/पितरः)

• सनाभयः: kinsmen of the same stock (agnates)
• सनाभयः: Apposition (Same referent/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सनाभि = समाननाभयः/सहोदराः)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana/Relation (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/त्रिलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• पिण्डप्रदाता: giver of piṇḍa offerings
• पिण्डप्रदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + प्रदातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पिण्डप्रदाता = पिण्डस्य प्रदाता)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आगतः: have come
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicate state/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (अहम्)

• अस्मिन्: in this (place/occasion)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पितामहाः: O grandfathers/forefathers
• पितामहाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)

Speaker

Ritual formula prescribed in the narrative (addressing the Pitṛs)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee kneels at the tīrtha edge with darbha and a leaf-plate of rice-balls, addressing unseen ancestors as ‘pitāmaha’ and offering piṇḍas for the whole lineage.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pitāmahas (forefathers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring one’s lineage through offerings is a key duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa) and sustains dharma across generations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where ancestor offerings are described as especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Declaring oneself as the piṇḍa-giver to one’s ancestors as part of the śrāddha invocation at the tīrtha.