Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

भूतेभ्यस्तु बलिं दद्यादृत्विग्भिः सह देशिकः । ततः प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य तुलामित्यभिमन्त्रयेत्

Transliteration

bhūtebhyastu baliṃ dadyādṛtvigbhiḥ saha deśikaḥ | tataḥ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya tulāmityabhimantrayet

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ദേശികാചാര്യൻ ഋത്വിക്കുകളോടൊപ്പം ഭൂതഗണങ്ങൾക്ക് ബലി അർപ്പിക്കണം. പിന്നെ പ്രദക്ഷിണം ചെയ്ത് ‘തുലാ…’ എന്ന് ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന മന്ത്രം ചൊല്ലി തുലാ (തരാസ്) അഭിമന്ത്രിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• bhūtebhyaḥ: to the beings/spirits
• bhūtebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थक (indeed/and then)

• balim: offering (bali)
• balim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ṛtvigbhiḥ: with the priests
• ṛtvigbhiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtvij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (with)

• deśikaḥ: the officiant/teacher (deśika)
• deśikaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereafter)

• pradakṣiṇīkṛtya: having circumambulated
• pradakṣiṇīkṛtya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra + dakṣiṇī + kṛ (धातु) + ya (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावे कृदन्त (absolutive); ‘प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य’ = प्रदक्षिणां कृत्वा

• tulām: the balance/scale
• tulām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-प्रयोग-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• abhimantrayet: should consecrate/recite mantra over
• abhimantrayet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi + mantr (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa, Revā Khaṇḍa instructional passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tulāpuruṣa-vedī within the deity’s ālaya (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The ācārya and ṛtviks place bali offerings at the periphery for bhūtas; then they circumambulate the ritual setup and touch/garland the weighing-balance while chanting the ‘Tulā…’ mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas
• Ṛtvij
• Deśika
• Tulā (weighing scale)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A rite is made harmonious by honoring all orders of beings and by sanctifying instruments through mantra and circumambulation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred sphere is the textual setting, where dāna and vrata are taught as sources of tīrtha-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering bali to bhūtas, performing pradakṣiṇā, and mantra-consecrating the weighing scale (tulā) before the main dāna.