Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 184

Devanagari script

प्रेतत्वान्मुच्यते शीघ्रमेरण्ड्यां पिण्डतर्पणैः । दानानि तत्र देयानि ह्यन्नमुख्यानि सर्वदा

Transliteration

pretatvānmucyate śīghrameraṇḍyāṃ piṇḍatarpaṇaiḥ | dānāni tatra deyāni hyannamukhyāni sarvadā

Translation

Par les offrandes de piṇḍa et de tarpaṇa à Eraṇḍī, on est promptement délivré de l’état de preta. C’est pourquoi on doit toujours y faire des dons, surtout des dons de nourriture.

Word by Word

• प्रेतत्वात्: from the state of being a preta
• प्रेतत्वात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत-त्व (प्रातिपदिक; प्रेत + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त भाववाचक (‘प्रेतत्व’ = state of being a preta)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एरण्ड्यां: at Eraṇḍī (place)
• एरण्ड्यां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एरण्डी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (place-name)

• पिण्डतर्पणैः: by piṇḍa-offerings and libations
• पिण्डतर्पणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + तर्पण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (‘पिण्डैः तर्पणम्’/‘पिण्डतर्पण’ कर्मधारयवत्)

• दानानि: gifts, donations
• दानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• देयानि: to be given, should be given
• देयानि: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → देय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘देय’ (gerundive/obligatory) विशेषण (दानानि)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अन्नमुख्यानि: chiefly consisting of food
• अन्नमुख्यानि: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्न-मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक; अन्न + मुख्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषण (दानानि/देयानि)

• सर्वदा: at all times
• सर्वदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator within Revākhaṇḍa (tīrtha-māhātmya instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Eraṇḍī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira) in chapter context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a riverbank, the patron offers rice-balls and water-libations; a subtle, compassionate vision of a preta being relieved and uplifted; nearby, food is distributed to brāhmaṇas and the poor.

Characters & Entities

• Eraṇḍī
• Piṇḍa
• Tarpaṇa
• Preta
• Dāna
• Anna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate rites for the departed, performed at empowered tīrthas, are portrayed as swift aids for post-death upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Eraṇḍī (within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, linked to the Revā/Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform piṇḍa and tarpaṇa at Eraṇḍī, and give dāna there—particularly anna-dāna (food charity).