Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सत्त्रयाजिफलं यच्च लभते द्वादशाब्दिकम् । पिण्डदानात्फलं तच्च लभते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

sattrayājiphalaṃ yacca labhate dvādaśābdikam | piṇḍadānātphalaṃ tacca labhate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

പന്ത്രണ്ടു വർഷം സത്രയജ്ഞം ചെയ്തവൻ നേടുന്ന ഫലം ഏതോ, അതേ ഫലം പിണ്ഡദാനത്തിലൂടെ ലഭിക്കുന്നു; ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല.

Word by Word

• सत्त्रयाजिफलम्: the fruit of a sattra-sacrifice
• सत्त्रयाजिफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्त्रयाजि + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सत्त्रयाजिनः फलम् = fruit of performing a sattra-sacrifice)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Correlative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

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

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• द्वादशाब्दिकम्: (merit) of twelve years
• द्वादशाब्दिकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + अब्दिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (द्वादश अब्दाः यस्य/यावत् = twelve-year)

• पिण्डदानात्: from the giving of piṇḍas
• पिण्डदानात्: Apadana (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य दानम्); अपादानार्थ (from/by means of)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Correlative/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlative to यत्

• च: also
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa narrator continuing instruction to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kusumeśvara-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (Rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic juxtaposition: on one side a grand sattra-yajña with many priests and fires; on the other, a simple riverside piṇḍa offering—both radiating equal merit, underscored by the narrator’s certainty.

Characters & Entities

• Sattra (Vedic sacrificial session)
• Piṇḍadāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the ancestors through piṇḍadāna can yield merit comparable to long, arduous sacrificial performances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The comparison is taught within the Kusumeśa-tīrtha context of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍadāna (offering piṇḍas to ancestors), praised as highly meritorious.