Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारांस्तु भक्त्या पिंडस्य यत्फलम् । गयायां प्राप्यते पुंसां ध्रुवं तदिह तर्प्पणात्

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārāṃstu bhaktyā piṃḍasya yatphalam | gayāyāṃ prāpyate puṃsāṃ dhruvaṃ tadiha tarppaṇāt

Translation

The merit that men obtain at Gayā by devoutly offering piṇḍas on twenty‑one occasions—that very merit is surely gained here through tarpaṇa.

Word by Word

• ekaviṃśativārān: twenty-one times
• ekaviṃśativārān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + vāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु (एकविंशतिः वाराः = 21 times)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयबोधक (particle: but/indeed)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• piṃḍasya: of the piṇḍa (funeral offering)
• piṃḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gayāyām: in Gayā
• gayāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• prāpyate: is obtained
• prāpyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु) with pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• puṃsām: of men/people
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial use: certainly)

• tat: that (result)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक (adverb: here/in this rite)

• tarppaṇāt: from tarpaṇa (libation/oblation)
• tarppaṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣatīrtha/Lohayaṣṭikā (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a riverbank performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands, offering water with sesame; in the background, a symbolic vignette of Gayā piṇḍa-offering appears like a comparison tableau, emphasizing ‘Gayā-tulya’ fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa
• Tarpaṇa
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere ancestral rites performed at a sanctified tīrtha can equal famed pilgrimage merits, emphasizing devotion over distance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of this adhyāya (Lohayaṣṭikā/Mokṣatīrtha region) is praised as conferring Gayā-like merit through tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform tarpaṇa (water-libations for ancestors) with devotion; it yields the fruit comparable to repeated piṇḍa offerings at Gayā.