Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

तावत्पुष्करपात्रेषु पिबन्ति पितरो जलम् । अयने विषुवे चैव युगादौ सूर्यसंक्रमे

Transliteration

tāvatpuṣkarapātreṣu pibanti pitaro jalam | ayane viṣuve caiva yugādau sūryasaṃkrame

Translation

Durant ce même temps, les Pitṛs boivent l’eau dans des vases de lotus—surtout aux solstices, aux équinoxes, au commencement d’un âge et lors des passages du Soleil (saṅkrānti).

Word by Word

• तावत्: for that long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/कालवाचक) — indeclinable correlating adverb “so long/for that duration”

• पुष्कर-पात्रेषु: in lotus-cups/vessels
• पुष्कर-पात्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक) + पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास (पुष्करस्य पात्राणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन — Tatpuruṣa compound; Neuter, Locative, Plural

• पिबन्ति: drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person, Plural

• पितरः: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• विषुवे: at the equinox
• विषुवे: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक) — indeclinable conjunction “and”

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारणार्थक) — indeclinable emphatic particle “indeed/just”

• युग-आदौ: at the beginning of an age
• युग-आदौ: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास (युगस्य आदौ); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Tatpuruṣa compound; Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सूर्य-संक्रमे: at the sun’s transit (saṅkrānti)
• सूर्य-संक्रमे: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास (सूर्यस्य संक्रमः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Tatpuruṣa compound; Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

Narratorial/Instructional voice within Revākhaṇḍa (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Above the river-ford, subtle celestial imagery shows Pitṛs seated in a luminous realm, drinking water from lotus-cups synchronized with the devotee’s bathing below; the sun’s course is indicated by zodiacal markers.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Sūrya (Sun)
• Saṅkrānti
• Ayana
• Viṣuva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offerings at a tīrtha, especially when aligned with sacred calendrical moments, are believed to directly benefit one’s ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Revākhaṇḍa’s “that tīrtha” context within the Revā/Narmadā sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-related water offering context is implied, with emphasis on auspicious timings: ayana (solstice), viṣuva (equinox), yugādi (beginning of an age), and sūrya-saṅkrānti (solar ingress).