Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

मैत्रावरुणतीर्थं च ततः पातकनाशनम् । तत्र पिंडप्रदानेन पितॄणां भवति प्रियः

Transliteration

maitrāvaruṇatīrthaṃ ca tataḥ pātakanāśanam | tatra piṃḍapradānena pitṝṇāṃ bhavati priyaḥ

Translation

Vient ensuite Maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtha, qui détruit les péchés. En y offrant des piṇḍas, on devient cher aux Pitṛs, les esprits des ancêtres.

Word by Word

• maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtham: Maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtha
• maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maitrāvaruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मैत्रावरुणं तीर्थम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunctive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): 'and'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'then/thereafter'

• pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pātaka-nāśanam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थम्); तत्पुरुष-समास (पातकस्य नाशनम्)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (place adverb): 'there'

• piṇḍa-pradānena: by offering piṇḍa (funeral rice-balls)
• piṇḍa-pradānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्)

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• bhavati: becomes/is
• bhavati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• priyaḥ: dear/pleasing
• priyaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (कर्ता-सम्बन्ध: 'he becomes dear')

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience/interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a quiet ghāṭa, a pilgrim sits facing the river with darbha grass, sesame, and rice-balls; piṇḍas are offered with water-libations; translucent ancestral figures appear peacefully behind, blessing the offerer.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtha
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Piṇḍa-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred travel is tied to dharma: honoring the ancestors through piṇḍa-offerings is praised as a direct act of gratitude and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maitrāvaruṇa-tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-pradāna (offering piṇḍas) for the Pitṛs at this tīrtha.