Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारांस्तु गयायां तर्पणे कृते । पितॄणां परमा तृप्तिः सकृद्वै गंगकूपके

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārāṃstu gayāyāṃ tarpaṇe kṛte | pitṝṇāṃ paramā tṛptiḥ sakṛdvai gaṃgakūpake

Translation

ഗയയിൽ ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന് പ്രാവശ്യം തർപ്പണം ചെയ്താലും, പിതൃകൾക്ക് പരമതൃപ്തി സത്യത്തിൽ ഗംഗാകൂപകത്തിൽ ഒരിക്കൽ മാത്രം തർപ്പണം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ekaviṃśati-vārān: twenty-one times (occurrences)
• ekaviṃśati-vārān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekaviṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + vāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ekaviṃśateḥ vārāḥ)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• gayāyām: in Gayā
• gayāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• tarpaṇe: in the act of offering libations (tarpaṇa)
• tarpaṇe: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kṛte: when performed
• kṛte: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कृते’ = ‘when done/after being performed’

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• paramā: supreme
• paramā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तृप्तिः)

• tṛptiḥ: satisfaction
• tṛptiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/भाव), एकवचन

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• gaṃgakūpake: at the Gaṅgā-well (Gaṅgakūpaka)
• gaṃgakūpake: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + kūpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gaṃgāyāḥ kūpakaḥ)

Speaker

Bhūta (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgākūpaka

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a stone-lined sacred well (kūpa) offers tarpaṇa—cupped hands pouring water with black sesame—while subtle divine radiance suggests Gaṅgā’s presence; pitṛs appear in the background receiving satisfaction.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Tarpaṇa
• Pitṛs
• Gaṅgākūpaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa magnifies specific sacred sites by asserting concentrated spiritual efficacy for pitṛ rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgākūpaka is exalted as exceptionally powerful for ancestral offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa—performed once at Gaṅgākūpaka—is said to yield the highest pitṛ satisfaction.