Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

असंख्या यातनासंस्था ये नीता यमशासकैः । तेषामुद्धरणार्थाय इमं पिंडं ददाम्यहम्

Transliteration

asaṃkhyā yātanāsaṃsthā ye nītā yamaśāsakaiḥ | teṣāmuddharaṇārthāya imaṃ piṃḍaṃ dadāmyaham

Translation

Pour ceux que les agents de Yama ont menés vers d’innombrables demeures de supplice—pour leur délivrance, j’offre ce piṇḍa.

Word by Word

• असंख्याः: countless
• असंख्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• यातना-संस्थाः: abiding in torment
• यातना-संस्थाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (यातनायां संस्था/स्थितिः)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नीताः: led (away)
• नीताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नी (धातु) → नीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (led/brought)

• यम-शासकैः: by Yama’s enforcers
• यम-शासकैः: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + शासक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य शासकाः)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• उद्धरण-अर्थाय: for deliverance
• उद्धरण-अर्थाय: Sampradana (Dative/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्धरण (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थ चतुर्थी

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पिण्डम्: piṇḍa offering
• पिण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ददामि: I give
• ददामि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Ritual officiant/pilgrim reciting the piṇḍa-dāna saṅkalpa within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narration (speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast scene: shadowy messengers of Yama leading suffering beings through dark corridors, while in the foreground at Prabhāsa a bright piṇḍa offering radiates light that breaks chains and opens a path upward.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamaśāsaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate duty: offerings made with intent can become a means of upliftment for suffering departed beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (the sacred Prabhāsa region, associated with Somnātha), within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna—offering a piṇḍa (ritual food offering) dedicated to the departed for their rescue.