Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

पितामहसमीपे वा धर्मेशस्याग्रतोथ वा । फल्गौ च धर्मकूपे च माद्यंति प्रपितामहाः

Transliteration

pitāmahasamīpe vā dharmeśasyāgratotha vā | phalgau ca dharmakūpe ca mādyaṃti prapitāmahāḥ

Translation

ຈະຢູ່ໃກ້ພິຕາມະຫາ ຫຼືຢູ່ເບື້ອງໜ້າພຣະທັມເມສະ; ແລະທີ່ຝັລກູ ກັບທຳມະ-ກູປກໍເຊັ່ນກັນ—ບັນພະບຸລຸດຊັ້ນກ່ອນຍ່ອມປິຕິຍິນດີ ແລະຊື່ນບານ.

Word by Word

• पितामहसमीपे: near the grandfather (pitāmaha)
• पितामहसमीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• धर्मेशस्य: of Dharmēśa
• धर्मेशस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अग्रतः: in front (of)
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agratas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: in front)

• अथ: then/also
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/also)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• फल्गौ: at Phalgū (river)
• फल्गौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phalgū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• धर्मकूपे: at Dharmakūpa
• धर्मकूपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• माद्यन्ति: rejoice/are exhilarated
• माद्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mad (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• प्रपितामहाः: the great-grandfathers
• प्रपितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pitāmaha-sannidhi, Dharmeśa, Dharma-kūpa (Kāśī) with comparison to Phalgū (Gayā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence tableau: a pilgrim offers water and piṇḍas at (1) a shrine labeled Pitāmaha, (2) before a liṅga/temple of Dharmeśa, (3) at a riverbank labeled Phalgū, and (4) at the Dharma-kūpa well; above, forefathers appear joyful, receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha
• Dharmeśa
• Phalgū
• Dharma-kūpa
• Prapitāmahāḥ (forefathers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites performed in dharmic sacred spaces bring joy and satisfaction to one’s ancestral line.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-kūpa (and associated Kāśī sacred stations like Dharmeśa), with comparison to Phalgū.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ancestor-pleasing acts (tarpaṇa/piṇḍa context from surrounding verses) performed at these tīrthas.