Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पितृलोकं महाराज दुर्लभं त्रिदशैरपि । तान्दृष्ट्वा प्रस्थितान्राजन्पितरो मर्त्यसंभवाः

Transliteration

pitṛlokaṃ mahārāja durlabhaṃ tridaśairapi | tāndṛṣṭvā prasthitānrājanpitaro martyasaṃbhavāḥ

Translation

Ô grand roi, Pitṛloka est difficile à atteindre même pour les dieux. Les voyant partir, les Pitṛs, nés eux aussi comme mortels, en furent émus et tournèrent leur attention vers eux.

Word by Word

• पितृलोकम्: the world of the Pitṛs
• पितृलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पितॄणां लोकः), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (to पितृलोकम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to पितृलोकम्)

• त्रिदशैः: by the gods
• त्रिदशैः: Kartr/Agent (in sense ‘even by’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अप्यर्थ (even/also)

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object of दृष्ट्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• प्रस्थितान्: departed
• प्रस्थितान्: Visheshana (to तान्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रस्थित (कृदन्त; प्र-√स्था (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (to तान्)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• पितरः: the Pitṛs
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मर्त्यसंभवाः: born among mortals
• मर्त्यसंभवाः: Visheshana (to पितरः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मर्त्य + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मर्त्येभ्यः/मर्त्येषु संभवः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (to पितरः)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (Purāṇic dialogue context; likely a sage/narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as the narrator describes the rare Pitṛloka; departing figures are seen moving toward a luminous path while ancestral beings, once mortal, turn their gaze toward the ritualists below.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛloka
• Pitṛs
• Devas (Tridaśas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛloka is portrayed as an exalted realm; therefore, honoring ancestors and following dharma are weighty spiritual responsibilities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it speaks about Pitṛloka as a sacred destination in Purāṇic cosmology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse supports the broader śrāddha framework by emphasizing the rarity and sanctity of the ancestral realm.