Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गोप्रचारे तु यः पिण्डा ञ्छमीपत्रप्रमाणतः । कन्दमूलफलाद्यैर्वा दत्त्वा स्वर्गं नयेत्पितॄन्

Transliteration

gopracāre tu yaḥ piṇḍā ñchamīpatrapramāṇataḥ | kandamūlaphalādyairvā dattvā svargaṃ nayetpitṝn

Translation

Mais dans les pâturages des vaches, quiconque offre des piṇḍa de la mesure d’une feuille de śamī—faits de bulbes, de racines, de fruits et autres—conduit les ancêtres au ciel.

Word by Word

• गोप्रचारे: in a cow-grazing ground
• गोप्रचारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + प्रचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘in the cow-pasture/grazing ground’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/अव्यय; विशेषार्थक (indeed/but)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• पिण्डान्: piṇḍas (rice-balls)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• शमीपत्रप्रमाणतः: according to the size of a śamī leaf
• शमीपत्रप्रमाणतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शमी + पत्र + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्/तस्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb): ‘according to the measure of shami-leaf’

• कन्दमूलफलाद्यैः: with bulbs, roots, fruits, etc.
• कन्दमूलफलाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्द + मूल + फल + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘with bulbs, roots, fruits, etc.’

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• दत्त्वा: having offered
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having given’

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati-karma (Goal/गत्यर्थकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नयेत्: should lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) → नयेत्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद: ‘should lead’

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopracāra (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage/interlocutor in the Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame (commonly Nārada or other ṛṣis; not specified in the given excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in a quiet pastureland near the sea-coast of Prabhāsa shapes small piṇḍas (leaf-sized) from fruits/roots, offering them with water-libations while envisioning ancestors ascending to svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Goṣpada (tīrtha)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Śamī (tree/leaf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even modest, nature-based offerings made according to dharmic measure can powerfully benefit the ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goṣpada-tīrtha’s associated area described as the go-pracāra (cow-grazing grounds) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna in the go-pracāra using piṇḍas sized like a śamī leaf, made from bulbs/roots/fruits, for Pitṛs’ svarga-gati.