Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारांस्तु भक्त्या पिंडस्य यत्फलम् । गयायां प्राप्यते पुंसां ध्रुवं तदिह तर्प्पणात्

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārāṃstu bhaktyā piṃḍasya yatphalam | gayāyāṃ prāpyate puṃsāṃ dhruvaṃ tadiha tarppaṇāt

Translation

Le fruit que les hommes obtiennent à Gayā en offrant des piṇḍas avec dévotion à vingt et une reprises, ce même fruit est assurément acquis ici par le tarpaṇa.

Word by Word

• ekaviṃśativārān: twenty-one times
• ekaviṃśativārān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + vāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु (एकविंशतिः वाराः = 21 times)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयबोधक (particle: but/indeed)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• piṃḍasya: of the piṇḍa (funeral offering)
• piṃḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gayāyām: in Gayā
• gayāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• prāpyate: is obtained
• prāpyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु) with pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• puṃsām: of men/people
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial use: certainly)

• tat: that (result)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक (adverb: here/in this rite)

• tarppaṇāt: from tarpaṇa (libation/oblation)
• tarppaṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣatīrtha/Lohayaṣṭikā (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a riverbank performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands, offering water with sesame; in the background, a symbolic vignette of Gayā piṇḍa-offering appears like a comparison tableau, emphasizing ‘Gayā-tulya’ fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa
• Tarpaṇa
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere ancestral rites performed at a sanctified tīrtha can equal famed pilgrimage merits, emphasizing devotion over distance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of this adhyāya (Lohayaṣṭikā/Mokṣatīrtha region) is praised as conferring Gayā-like merit through tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform tarpaṇa (water-libations for ancestors) with devotion; it yields the fruit comparable to repeated piṇḍa offerings at Gayā.