Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्रेता भवन्ति सुप्रीता युगमेकं महीपते । सपुत्रो जायते मर्त्यः प्रतिजन्म नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

pretā bhavanti suprītā yugamekaṃ mahīpate | saputro jāyate martyaḥ pratijanma nṛpottama

Translation

ഹേ മഹീപതേ! പ്രേതാത്മാക്കൾ ഒരു യുഗം മുഴുവൻ അത്യന്തം പ്രസന്നരാകും; ഹേ നൃപോത്തമാ! ആ മനുഷ്യൻ ജന്മംജന്മമായി പുത്രവാനായി ജനിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• प्रेताः: departed spirits
• प्रेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• भवन्ति: become/are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Plural)

• सुप्रीताः: very pleased
• सुप्रीताः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + प्रीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; qualifying प्रेताः)

• युगम्: for an age/period
• युगम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-प्रवृत्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; duration)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying युगम्)

• महीपते: O king (lord of the earth)
• महीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘महीपते’ (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• सपुत्रः: having a son
• सपुत्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘पुत्रः अस्य अस्ति’ (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘having a son’)

• जायते: is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal (man)
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• प्रतिजन्म: in every birth
• प्रतिजन्म: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable adverb: 'in each birth')

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (māhīpati/nṛpottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ancestral spirits (pitṛs) depicted serene and luminous above the riverbank rite, receiving offerings; below, the kingly performer completes śrāddha; symbolic imagery of a flourishing family tree and children indicates putra-lābha across births.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nṛpa (King)
• Pretas (Departed ancestors/spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acts connected with a sacred tīrtha can bring deep ancestral satisfaction and confer enduring family prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha being praised in Revā Khaṇḍa, in the ongoing description of the local sacred place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies ancestral-pleasing rites connected with the tīrtha (contextually śrāddha/tarpana), though it does not name a specific act here.