Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

अर्वाक्सपिंडीकरणं यस्य वर्षाच्च वा कृतम् । प्रेतत्वमपि तस्यापि प्रोक्तं संवत्सरं धुवम्

Transliteration

arvāksapiṃḍīkaraṇaṃ yasya varṣācca vā kṛtam | pretatvamapi tasyāpi proktaṃ saṃvatsaraṃ dhuvam

Translation

Même si le sapiṇḍīkaraṇa de quelqu’un est accompli plus tôt—avant l’écoulement de l’année—, il est néanmoins déclaré avec certitude que l’état de preta dure une année entière.

Word by Word

• अर्वाक्-सपिण्डीकरणम्: the earlier performance of sapiṇḍīkaraṇa
• अर्वाक्-सपिण्डीकरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arvāk + sapiṇḍīkaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; 'अर्वाक्' (before/earlier) + 'सपिण्डीकरण' (funerary rite of making one a sapiṇḍa)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक — 'of whom/whose'

• वर्षात्: from a year (i.e., before a year)
• वर्षात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — 'and'

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पबोधक) — 'or'

• कृतम्: done/performed
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धाातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — 'done/performed'

• प्रेतत्वम्: the state of being a preta
• प्रेतत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta + tva (प्रातिपदिक; तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of being a preta)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — 'also/even'

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; 'of him/of that'

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — 'also/even'

• प्रोक्तम्: is declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√vac (धाातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — 'said/declared'

• संवत्सरम्: for a year
• संवत्सरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अव्यभिचारि/निश्चित (certain)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A family performing sapiṇḍīkaraṇa and annual śrāddha; the departed shown as a subtle preta-form lingering for a year, receiving piṇḍa and water offerings; a calendar wheel marking twelve months.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual performance has prescribed cosmic timing; certain transitions are said to mature only with time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a śrāddha-related doctrinal statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa is mentioned along with a rule about timing relative to the first year after death.