Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

ददाति यः पितृभ्यस्तु तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम् । त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजास्तस्य स्वर्गे मोदन्ति पाण्डव

Transliteration

dadāti yaḥ pitṛbhyastu tilapuṣpakuśodakam | triḥsaptapūrvajāstasya svarge modanti pāṇḍava

Translation

ഓ പാണ്ഡവാ! പിതൃകൾക്ക് എള്ള്, പുഷ്പം, കുശ, ജലം എന്നിവ അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവന്റെ ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന് തലമുറ മുൻപിതാക്കൾ സ്വർഗത്തിൽ ആനന്ദിക്കും।

Word by Word

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (3rd person singular present)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun; masc., nominative singular)

• पितृभ्यः: to the ancestors
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc., dative plural)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Emphasis/Contrast (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वर्थक निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम्: water with sesame, flowers, and kuśa grass (offering)
• तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल + पुष्प + कुश + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (तिलानि पुष्पाणि कुशाः उदकम् च—समाहारः) (neuter, accusative singular)

• त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजाः: the twenty-one forefathers
• त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिःसप्त + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रिःसप्त = 21; तद्विशिष्टाः पूर्वजाः) (masc., nominative plural)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., locative singular)

• मोदन्ति: rejoice
• मोदन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद (3rd person plural present)

• पाण्डव: O Pāṇḍava
• पाण्डव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as Pāṇḍava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tarpaṇa-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim on a riverbank seated on kuśa, offering water mixed with sesame, flowers floating, hands in tarpaṇa gesture; subtle vision of ancestors rejoicing in svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes gratitude to lineage: offerings to the Pitṛs uplift not only the performer but also many generations of ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context is the Narmadeśvara/Narmadā tīrtha setting in Revā Khaṇḍa, where Pitṛ-offerings are said to be especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa/offerings using tila (sesame), puṣpa (flowers), kuśa, and udaka (water).