Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

पिण्डेनैकेन मुच्यन्ते तेऽपि तत्र न संशयः । अस्माहके शिला दिव्या तिष्ठते गजसन्निभा

Transliteration

piṇḍenaikena mucyante te'pi tatra na saṃśayaḥ | asmāhake śilā divyā tiṣṭhate gajasannibhā

Translation

Par une seule offrande de piṇḍa, même eux sont délivrés en ce lieu—sans aucun doute. Dans notre contrée se dresse une pierre divine, semblable à un éléphant par sa forme.

Word by Word

• पिण्डेन: by a piṇḍa (funeral rice-ball)
• पिण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• एकेन: by one (single)
• एकेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पिण्डेन)

• मुच्यन्ते: are liberated/released
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ

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

• न: not/no
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अस्माहके: in ours/among us (in our place)
• अस्माहके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्वकीयार्थे (our/pertaining to us)

• शिला: a stone/rock
• शिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शिला)

• तिष्ठते: stands/remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• गजसन्निभा: resembling an elephant
• गजसन्निभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुष (गज-सन्निभा = गजवत् सन्निभा), विशेषणम् (शिला)

Speaker

Tīrtha-māhātmya narrator (contextual; likely a sage addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā) with a divya-śilā (gaja-sannibhā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the bank of the Revā, pilgrims gather around an elephant-shaped sacred stone; a householder offers a single piṇḍa with folded hands, while subtle ancestral figures are shown being uplifted.

Characters & Entities

• Piṇḍa (offering)
• Preta-afflicted beings (implied)
• Divine śilā (Gayāśiras-śilā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate ritual action—even a single piṇḍa—can become a vehicle of liberation when performed at a sanctified tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gayāśiras-śilā tīrtha associated with the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer even a single piṇḍa at this tīrtha; it is declared sufficient to free afflicted beings.