Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सौभाग्यवर्द्धनं तीर्थं जयदं दुःखनाशनम् । पिण्डदानेन चैकेन कुलानामुद्धरेत्त्रयम्

Transliteration

saubhāgyavarddhanaṃ tīrthaṃ jayadaṃ duḥkhanāśanam | piṇḍadānena caikena kulānāmuddharettrayam

Translation

Ce tīrtha accroît la bonne fortune, accorde la victoire et détruit la peine. Et par une seule offrande de piṇḍa, on relève trois générations de sa lignée.

Word by Word

• सौभाग्यवर्द्धनम्: increasing good fortune
• सौभाग्यवर्द्धनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौभाग्य + वर्द्धन (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष-समासः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तीर्थम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जयदम्: granting victory
• जयदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जय + द (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• दुःखनाशनम्: destroying sorrow
• दुःखनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष-समासः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• पिण्डदानेन: by (the act of) offering a piṇḍa (funeral oblation)
• पिण्डदानेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + दान (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष-समासः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• एकेन: by a single (offering)
• एकेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular); पिण्डदानेन इति सह विशेषणम्

• कुलानाम्: of families/lineages
• कुलानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• उद्धरेत्: would uplift/deliver
• उद्धरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• त्रयम्: three (generations)
• त्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्म (object)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the river ghat, a devotee offers a single piṇḍa with sesame and water; three ancestral figures appear subtly behind, receiving uplift; the shrine of Gautameśvara glows, symbolizing fortune and victory.

Characters & Entities

• Gautameśvara
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes care for ancestors: tīrtha rites such as piṇḍa-dāna are portrayed as spiritually effective for family uplift and inner well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautameśvara tīrtha on the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna (offering a funerary rice-ball) is explicitly praised as delivering three generations.