Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

भविष्यति किमस्माकममावास्याप्यमाहके । स्नानं दानं च ये कुर्युः पितॄणां तिलतर्पणम्

Transliteration

bhaviṣyati kimasmākamamāvāsyāpyamāhake | snānaṃ dānaṃ ca ye kuryuḥ pitṝṇāṃ tilatarpaṇam

Translation

«Que deviendrons-nous, même à l’Amāvāsyā, même au mois de Māgha ?»—ainsi s’inquiètent-ils. Ceux qui accomplissent le bain rituel, la charité, et l’offrande de libations d’eau au sésame pour les Pitṛs (tilatarpaṇa) leur apportent soutien.

Word by Word

• भविष्यति: will be, will happen
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• अस्माकम्: of us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अमावास्या: new-moon day
• अमावास्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (particle: also/even)

• अमाहके: in the Amāhaka (period/occasion)
• अमाहके: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमाहक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; (विशेषकालवाचकः—अमाहक-नामकः कालः/पर्व)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• दानम्: giving, charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• कुर्युः: should do
• कुर्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• तिलतर्पणम्: libation with sesame (for ancestors)
• तिलतर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तिलैः तर्पणम् / तिलस्य तर्पणम्)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; voicing the Pitṛs’ concern within narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at river steps on Amāvāsyā in Māgha: bathing, giving alms, and offering sesame-water libations; pitṛs symbolically ‘supported’ by the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Māgha
• Pitṛs
• Tila-tarpaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular observances—especially on Amāvāsyā and in Māgha—sustain the bond of obligation and grace between descendants and ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred waters are the implied setting for snāna and tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (holy bath), dāna (charity), and tila-tarpaṇa (sesame-water libations) for the Pitṛs.