Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

पिण्डं दद्याच्च पित्रादेरात्मनोऽपि स्वयं नरः । पिण्याकेंगुदकेनापि तेन मुच्येद्वरानने

Transliteration

piṇḍaṃ dadyācca pitrāderātmano'pi svayaṃ naraḥ | piṇyākeṃgudakenāpi tena mucyedvarānane

Translation

Hendaknya seorang manusia sendiri mempersembahkan piṇḍa bagi para leluhur—bahkan bagi dirinya juga. Sekalipun hanya dengan ampas minyak dan air, wahai yang berwajah elok, olehnya ia memperoleh pembebasan.

Word by Word

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

• दद्याच्: should give
• दद्याच्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• पित्रादेः: of the father and other (ancestors)
• पित्रादेः: Sampradana/Adhikarana (Reference; for ancestors)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘पितृ-आदि’ = पितरः आदयः यस्य/येषाम्

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Karta (Agent qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वयंकर्तृवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• पिण्याक-इङ्गुदकेन: with oil-cake and with iṅguda-water
• पिण्याक-इङ्गुदकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्याक + इङ्गुदक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (पिण्याकं च इङ्गुदकं च)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (even/also)

• तेन: by that (act/means)
• तेन: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मुच्येत्: would be freed
• मुच्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर-आनन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वरं आननं यस्याः’ (vocative address)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; addressing a feminine listener indicated by 'varānane')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Goṣpada

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānanā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary pilgrim offers piṇḍas on kuśa grass near water; the offerings are simple, yet a luminous path opens upward, symbolizing release; a compassionate feminine listener is implied off-frame.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Piṇḍa (śrāddha offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincerity in śrāddha matters: even simple materials offered with devotion can yield powerful purification and release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding context is Goṣpada-tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna for ancestors (and for oneself), permissible even with minimal offerings like oil-cake and water.