Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

विक्रेष्यामि महामांसं समेत्य पितृकाननम् । तत्र राक्षसवेतालपिशाचादिषु सर्वशः

Transliteration

vikreṣyāmi mahāmāṃsaṃ sametya pitṛkānanam | tatra rākṣasavetālapiśācādiṣu sarvaśaḥ

Translation

“ഞാൻ പിതൃകാനനത്തിലേക്ക് ചെന്നു ധാരാളം മാംസം വിൽക്കും; അവിടെ രാക്ഷസർ, വേതാളർ, പിശാചുകൾ മുതലായവർ എല്ലാടത്തുനിന്നും കൂടിവരും।”

Word by Word

• विक्रेष्यामि: I shall sell
• विक्रेष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-क्रि (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महामांसम्: great quantity of flesh
• महामांसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महद् मांसम्)

• समेत्य: having gone to
• समेत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-इ (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'having gone/approached'

• पितृ-काननम्: the forest of the Pitṛs (ancestral grove/cremation-forest)
• पितृ-काननम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां काननम्)

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

• राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-आदिषु: among rākṣasas, vetālas, piśācas, etc.
• राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-आदिषु: Adhikarana (Location/Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक) + वेताल (प्रातिपदिक) + पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (राक्षसाः च वेतालाः च पिशाचाः च) + 'आदि' (etc.)

• सर्वशः: everywhere / in all respects
• सर्वशः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'in every way/entirely')

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Setukhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: पितृकानन (आख्यान-स्थल)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: घन-वनं, अस्थि-वृक्ष-छाया, कपाल-चिह्नित-भूमि; नायकः मांस-भारं वहन्/विक्रयार्थं स्थापयन्; दूरं राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-समूहाः आकर्षिताः।

Characters & Entities

• pitṛkānana
• rākṣasa
• vetāla
• piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays tamasic temptations—meat, fearsome beings, and funerary spaces—used as bait; Purāṇas often use such scenes to caution against adharma-driven strategies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it references a pitṛkānana (ancestral grove) as a narrative location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No orthodox ritual is prescribed; the verse describes a scheme involving summoning/attracting beings, which is narrative rather than a dhārmic injunction.