Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

तत्र पिण्डप्रदानेन सन्ध्योपासनकेन तु । पितरो द्वादशाब्दानि तर्पितास्तु भवन्ति वै

Transliteration

tatra piṇḍapradānena sandhyopāsanakena tu | pitaro dvādaśābdāni tarpitāstu bhavanti vai

Translation

Là, par l’offrande des piṇḍas et par l’adoration du sacré sandhyā, les ancêtres sont, en vérité, rassasiés pour douze années.

Word by Word

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

• पिण्डप्रदानेन: by offering rice-balls (piṇḍa)
• पिण्डप्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्)

• सन्ध्योपासनकेन: by the worship of twilight (sandhyā)
• सन्ध्योपासनकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ध्या + उपासनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सन्ध्यायाः उपासनकम्)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• द्वादशाब्दानि: twelve years
• द्वादशाब्दानि: Kāla-adhvana (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (द्वादश अब्दाः)

• तर्पिताः: satiated, satisfied
• तर्पिताः: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप् (धातु) (तर्पयति-णिच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• भवन्ति: become, are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• वै: certainly
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); निश्चयार्थक/प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāleśvara (Hrada/Kuṇḍa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a lake ghat at twilight: one performs sandhyā facing the sun with arghya; another offers piṇḍas on darbha near the water; subtle presence of satisfied pitṛs in the sky as translucent figures receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Jāleśvara (tīrtha)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with daily dharma (sandhyā) and ancestral rites yields lasting spiritual benefit for one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha previously indicated near Amarakanṭaka—associated with the Jāleśvara lake.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-pradāna (ancestral offering) and sandhyā-upāsanā (twilight worship), resulting in twelve years of pitṛ-satisfaction.