Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

अथ यो भोजयेद्विप्रान् पित्ःनुद्दिश्य भारत । तस्य ते द्वादशाब्दानि मोदन्ते दिवि तर्पिताः

Transliteration

atha yo bhojayedviprān pitḥnuddiśya bhārata | tasya te dvādaśābdāni modante divi tarpitāḥ

Translation

കൂടാതെ, ഹേ ഭാരതാ! പിതൃകളെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് ആരെങ്കിലും ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു ഭോജനം നൽകുകയാണെങ്കിൽ, അവന്റെ പിതൃകൾ തൃപ്തരായി സ്വർഗത്തിൽ പന്ത്രണ്ടു വർഷം ആനന്ദിക്കും।

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक-निपात (then/now)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-यः (relative pronoun)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) ‘should feed’

• विप्रान्: Brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• उद्दिश्य: dedicating (to them)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + दिश् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययभावे ल्यबन्त (Gerund/absolutive), ‘having intended/dedicated (to)’

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘तर्पिताः’ इत्यस्य कर्ता

• द्वादशाब्दानि: twelve years
• द्वादशाब्दानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वादश अब्दाः)

• मोदन्ते: rejoice
• मोदन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तर्पिताः: being satisfied (by offerings)
• तर्पिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (addressing Bhārata)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim hosts brāhmaṇas on the riverbank, offering cooked food and water with pitṛ-saṅkalpa; above, ancestors are shown rejoicing in a heavenly realm.

Characters & Entities

• Vipras (brāhmaṇas)
• Pitṛs
• Bhārata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered as vipra-bhojana for the sake of one’s ancestors becomes direct upliftment and joy for the pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya context (Pippalāda tīrtha), where pitṛ-oriented acts are especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feeding brāhmaṇas (vipra-bhojana) dedicated to the pitṛs, akin to śrāddha-supportive charity.