Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

वनस्पतिगते सोमे यदा सोमदिनं भवेत् । अक्षयाल्लभते लोकान्पिण्डेनैकेन मानवः

Transliteration

vanaspatigate some yadā somadinaṃ bhavet | akṣayāllabhate lokānpiṇḍenaikena mānavaḥ

Translation

Lorsque la Lune se trouve dans l’astérisme Vanaspati et que c’est un lundi, l’homme obtient des mondes impérissables, fût-ce par l’offrande d’un seul piṇḍa.

Word by Word

• वनस्पतिगते: when (the moon) has entered the tree (i.e., in that asterism/position)
• वनस्पतिगते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वनस्पति (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः; गत (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; 'वनस्पतौ गते' इति सन्दर्भे

• सोमे: in Soma (the Moon)
• सोमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सोमदिनम्: Someday (Monday)
• सोमदिनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• भवेत्: should be / happens to be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अक्षयात्: from the imperishable (merit) / inexhaustibly
• अक्षयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादाने (from/owing to)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• लोकान्: worlds (realms)
• लोकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

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

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

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (traditional attribution: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim on the sandy bank of the Revā offers a single piṇḍa with folded hands; above, the Moon and asterism symbolism indicate the auspicious yoga; subtle radiance suggests ‘akṣaya’ worlds opening.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Moon)
• Somavāra (Monday)
• Piṇḍa
• Akṣaya-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper time (kāla) magnifies ritual merit, making even a small offering yield inexhaustible spiritual results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā tīrtha context of Adhyāya 146, where piṇḍadāna is praised as extraordinarily fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer even a single piṇḍa on a Monday under the specified lunar condition for akṣaya merit.