Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

अज्ञातगोत्रजन्मानस्तेभ्यः पिंडांस्तु निर्वपेत् । तेऽपि यांति दिवं सर्वे ये दत्त इति श्रुतिः

Transliteration

ajñātagotrajanmānastebhyaḥ piṃḍāṃstu nirvapet | te'pi yāṃti divaṃ sarve ye datta iti śrutiḥ

Translation

ഗോത്രം അറിയാത്തവർക്കും പിണ്ഡങ്ങൾ അർപ്പിക്കണം. ‘ദാനം ലഭിച്ചവർ’ എല്ലാവരും സ്വർഗ്ഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു എന്നു ശ്രുതി പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अज्ञातगोत्रजन्मानः: those of unknown lineage/birth
• अज्ञातगोत्रजन्मानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञात + गोत्र + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (अज्ञातं गोत्रं यस्य/येषां, तेषां जन्म) — अर्थतः: unknown lineage/birth

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी (4th/5th), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः (to/for them)

• पिण्डान्: rice-balls (piṇḍas)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक/विरोधार्थक-निपातः (particle: but/indeed)

• निर्वपेत्: should offer/place (as oblation)
• निर्वपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्- वप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

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

• यान्ति: go/attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम् (accusative of goal)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (agreeing with ते)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: who)

• दत्तः: given/offered
• दत्तः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; (पाठभेदे: दत्तम्/दत्त इति)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्ययम् (quotative particle: thus)

• श्रुतिः: scriptural statement/tradition
• श्रुतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic instruction; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lohayiṣṭakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A performer offers multiple piṇḍas labeled ‘sarvebhyaḥ pitṛbhyaḥ’ without clan markers; diverse ancestral silhouettes—men, women, unknown figures—receive light and ascend toward a luminous heaven.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate dharma does not exclude the unknown; offerings made with intent still benefit departed beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the implied sacred arena where such rites are taught and empowered.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer piṇḍas even for ancestors of unknown gotra/lineage.