Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

प्रेतत्वात्पितरो मुक्ता भवंतु मम शाश्वतम् । यत्किंचिन्मधुसमिश्रं गोक्षीरं घृतपायसम्

Transliteration

pretatvātpitaro muktā bhavaṃtu mama śāśvatam | yatkiṃcinmadhusamiśraṃ gokṣīraṃ ghṛtapāyasam

Translation

Mögen meine Ahnen auf ewig vom Zustand des Preta befreit werden. Welche Gabe auch immer mit Honig vermischt ist—Kuhmilch und in Ghee gekochter Reisbrei—

Word by Word

• प्रेतत्वात्: from (the state of) being a preta; due to pretahood
• प्रेतत्वात्: Apadana (Cause/Reason/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; -तस्/आत्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablative)

• पितरः: the forefathers
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मुक्ताः: freed, released
• मुक्ताः: Karta (Predicate adjective to subject/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) → मुक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भावे कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• भवन्तु: may (they) become
• भवन्तु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शाश्वतम्: forever, perpetually
• शाश्वतम्: Adhikarana (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण-प्रकार)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of extent/continuance)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object—correlative/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• किंचित्: anything, something
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययवत् अनिश्चितार्थ (indefinite)

• मधु-समिश्रम्: mixed with honey
• मधु-समिश्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + समिश्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मधुना/मधुयुक्तम्)

• गो-क्षीरम्: cow’s milk
• गो-क्षीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गवां क्षीरम्)

• घृत-पायसम्: rice-pudding with ghee
• घृत-पायसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + पायस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (घृतेन/घृतयुक्तं पायसम्)

Speaker

Ritual officiant/pilgrim reciting the piṇḍa-dāna saṅkalpa within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narration (speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Goṣpada-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Offerings of honey-mixed items, cow’s milk, and ghee-rice are arranged; the devotee prays for ancestors’ release from preta-state, depicted as dark shackles dissolving into light near the sacred water.

Characters & Entities

• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites aim not only at appeasement but at release from unsettled states, coupled with pure, sattvic offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where such offerings are linked with enduring benefit for pitṛs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering śrāddha foods—honey-mixed items, cow’s milk, and ghee-pāyasa—along with the prayer for preta-mokṣa.