Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तृतीयायां तिथौ मर्त्यो यः करोति महालयम् । तृप्यंति पितरस्तस्य त्रिंशत्कल्पसहस्रकम्

Transliteration

tṛtīyāyāṃ tithau martyo yaḥ karoti mahālayam | tṛpyaṃti pitarastasya triṃśatkalpasahasrakam

Translation

Le mortel qui accomplit Mahālaya au troisième jour lunaire satisfait ses ancêtres; ils demeurent comblés durant trente mille kalpas.

Word by Word

• तृतीयायाम्: on the third (tithi)
• तृतीयायाम्: Adhikarana (Time—अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृतीया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तिथौ: on the lunar day
• तिथौ: Adhikarana (Time—अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• महालयम्: Mahālaya rite
• महालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तृप्यन्ति: are satisfied
• तृप्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पितरः: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्रिंशत्कल्पसहस्रकम्: a thousand sets of thirty kalpas (i.e., for 30,000 kalpas)
• त्रिंशत्कल्पसहस्रकम्: Karma (Extent/measure as object of satisfaction—कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशत् + कल्प + सहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक-समाहार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); संख्या-तत्पुरुषः (determinative with numeral)

Speaker

Unspecified (Setu-khaṇḍa narrator voice; traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setu)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous ancestral realm where pitṛs receive offerings; a golden thread links the performer at the seashore altar to radiant pitṛs, signifying gratification for vast aeons.

Characters & Entities

• Pitaraḥ (ancestors)
• Mahālaya
• Tṛtīyā
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely śrāddha during Mahālaya is exalted as a powerful act of gratitude that brings long-lasting ancestral satisfaction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-khaṇḍa frames the rite within the merit-field of Setu/Rāmeśvaram pilgrimage territory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Mahālaya-śrāddha on tṛtīyā tithi to please the pitṛs.