Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पितरस्तस्य नाश्नन्ति देवता ऋषिभिः सह । क्रियमाणेऽप्यहरहः श्राद्धे मत्पितरः सदा

Transliteration

pitarastasya nāśnanti devatā ṛṣibhiḥ saha | kriyamāṇe'pyaharahaḥ śrāddhe matpitaraḥ sadā

Translation

അവന്റെ പിതൃക്കൾ ഭോജനം സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നില്ല; ഋഷികളോടുകൂടിയ ദേവതകളും അല്ല. ദിനംപ്രതി ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താലും എന്റെ പിതൃപുരുഷന്മാർ സദാ അതൃപ്തരായിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• pitaraḥ: the ancestors
• pitaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्तरि), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive (6th), Singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय — negative particle

• aśnanti: eat
• aśnanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (अश्, धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present Indicative, 3rd person plural

• devatāḥ: the deities
• devatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• ṛṣibhiḥ: with sages
• ṛṣibhiḥ: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha (सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (सहयोगार्थक) — indeclinable meaning 'together/with'

• kriyamāṇe: while being performed
• kriyamāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ, धातु) + śāna (शानच्, कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमान-काले कर्मणि शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Present passive participle, Locative singular

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय — particle 'even/also'

• aharahaḥ: day after day
• aharahaḥ: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar-ahar (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, अव्यय — adverbial compound meaning repetition

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• matpitaraḥ: my ancestors
• matpitaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (मद्-प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मम पितरः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Genitive tatpuruṣa, Masculine, Nominative plural

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — adverb of time

Speaker

Devapanna (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) pitṛ-tarpaṇa context (implied by Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worried king performs daily śrāddha before a sacred fire and water-vessel, yet the ancestral presence remains unseen and unsatisfied; the atmosphere is heavy, with offerings untouched in a symbolic sense.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devatās
• Ṛṣis
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links family continuity with the effective fulfillment of obligations to ancestors (pitṛ-dharma) through śrāddha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is cited in this verse; it focuses on the dharmic consequence of being without progeny.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha is explicitly mentioned as being performed repeatedly (aharahaḥ), highlighting its centrality to pitṛ obligations.