Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

पितरः पितामहाश्चैव तथैव प्रपितामहाः । येषां दत्तमुपस्थायि सुकृतं वापि दुष्कृतम्

Transliteration

pitaraḥ pitāmahāścaiva tathaiva prapitāmahāḥ | yeṣāṃ dattamupasthāyi sukṛtaṃ vāpi duṣkṛtam

Translation

Les pères, les grands-pères et de même les arrière-grands-pères—devant qui se tient l’offrande—qu’il s’agisse d’actes méritoires ou même fautifs.

Word by Word

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

• पितामहाः: grandfathers
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/so)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• प्रपितामहाः: great-grandfathers
• प्रपितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘प्र’ उपसर्गपूर्वक-प्रातिपदिक (great-grandfathers)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• दत्तम्: given (gift/that which is given)
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given (gift)’ अर्थे

• उपस्थायि: has come near/has accrued (to them)
• उपस्थायि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘उपस्थायि’ = उपस्थाय (archaic/epic perfect form) ‘approached/attended’

• सुकृतम्: merit, good deed
• सुकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—सु (शोभनम्) + कृतम् (कर्म)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावना-निपात (particle: also/even)

• दुष्कृतम्: demerit, evil deed
• दुष्कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुस् + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—दुस् (पापम्) + कृतम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa style narration within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yodhanīpura

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a king (pārthiva/nṛpa) implied in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual tableau: three ancestral figures in subtle form aligned behind the ritual space, while the performer offers piṇḍa/tila-jala; beside them, symbolic scroll/ledger imagery suggests sukṛta and duṣkṛta standing ‘present’.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pitāmahas
• Prapitāmahas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human actions and offerings have continuity across generations; the ancestral line is a real recipient-field in Puranic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa sacred setting associated with ancestral accessibility, tied to the praised locale of Yodhanīpura.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: giving offerings (dāna/śrāddha/tarpaṇa) that ‘stand present’ before the Pitṛs.