Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यस्तु श्रावयते श्राद्धे पठेत्पितृपरायणः । अक्षयं जायते पुण्यमित्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

yastu śrāvayate śrāddhe paṭhetpitṛparāyaṇaḥ | akṣayaṃ jāyate puṇyamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

しかし、祖霊ピトリに帰依し、シュラーダ（śrāddha）においてこれを聞かせる者、あるいは自ら誦する者には、尽きることなき功徳が生ずる。かくシャンカラ（シヴァ）は語った。

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle: but/indeed)

• śrāvayate: causes to be heard; has (it) recited
• śrāvayate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) [णिच् causative: śrāvaya]
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative)

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (locative)

• paṭhet: should recite/read
• paṭhet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• pitṛ-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to the ancestors
• pitṛ-parāyaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (pitṝṇāṃ parāyaṇaḥ / pitṛṣu parāyaṇaḥ—devoted to ancestors); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• jāyate: arises; is produced
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्तृस्थानीयं (subject of jāyate)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-saṅgraha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• evam: in this way
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: thus/in this manner)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• abravīt: said; spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (quoting Śaṅkara/Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-māhātmya (śrāddha-śravaṇa phala)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as rājendra/nṛpottama in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: a householder offers piṇḍa and water to Pitṛs while a learned reciter chants the tīrtha-māhātmya; Śiva’s presence is implied as a blessing above.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acts done with pitṛ-bhakti—especially sacred recitation and listening during śrāddha—generate enduring (akṣaya) merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-māhātmya under discussion in Revā Khaṇḍa; the verse highlights its use within śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha, arrange śravaṇa (having it recited/heard) and/or perform pāṭha (recitation) with devotion to the Pitṛs.