Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

गतः सोऽपि सुरश्रेष्ठः स्वस्थानं सुरसेवितम् । तत्र प्रेता दिवं यांति तर्पणेन प्रतर्पिताः

Transliteration

gataḥ so'pi suraśreṣṭhaḥ svasthānaṃ surasevitam | tatra pretā divaṃ yāṃti tarpaṇena pratarpitāḥ

Translation

ആ ദേവശ്രേഷ്ഠനും ദേവന്മാർ സേവിക്കുന്ന തന്റെ സ്വധാമത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി. അവിടെ തർപ്പണത്താൽ തൃപ്തരാക്കിയ പ്രേതാത്മാക്കൾ സ്വർഗ്ഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गतः: went/has gone
• गतः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — PPP used adjectivally, Masculine, Nom., Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ-अव्यय (also/even)

• सुरश्रेष्ठः: best of the gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• स्वस्थानम्: his own abode
• स्वस्थानम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (स्वं स्थानम्)

• सुरसेवितम्: served/attended by gods
• सुरसेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवित (सेव् धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (सुरैः सेवितम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

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

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present indicative, 3rd person, Plural

• तर्पणेन: by the offering of water (tarpaṇa)
• तर्पणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रतर्पिताः: satiated/propitiated
• प्रतर्पिताः: Karta (Qualified subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-तृप्/तर्प् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — PPP, Masculine, Nom., Plural; विशेषण (qualifying pretāḥ)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣa-tīrtha (tarpaṇa-pradhāna)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the tīrtha’s water edge, a pilgrim offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle ancestral forms are shown becoming serene and ascending toward a luminous heaven-path.

Characters & Entities

• Suraśreṣṭha (deity)
• Preta (departed spirits)
• Tarpaṇa
• Svarga (Heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate rites for the departed, performed at a sanctified tīrtha, are said to uplift ancestors and wandering spirits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The newly established Mokṣatīrtha/Mukteśa-associated area in Dharmāraṇya, where tarpaṇa bears special fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa (water-offerings/oblations) for pretas/pitṛs is explicitly praised as leading them to heaven.