Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

ये तु मानुषलोकेस्मिन्पितरो मर्त्ययोनयः । ते दिव्ययोनयः स्युर्वै मधुस्रवसि तर्पिताः

Transliteration

ye tu mānuṣalokesminpitaro martyayonayaḥ | te divyayonayaḥ syurvai madhusravasi tarpitāḥ

Translation

ഈ മനുഷ്യലോകത്തിൽ മർത്ത്യയോണിയിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന പിതൃകൾ—മധുസ്രവയിൽ തർപ്പണം ലഭിക്കുമ്പോൾ അവർ നിശ്ചയമായും ദിവ്യയോണിയിലേക്കു ഉയരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Relative pronoun

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

• मानुषलोके: in the human world
• मानुषलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुषलोक (प्रातिपदिक; मानुष + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; refers to ‘मानुषलोके’

• पितरः: ancestors, fathers
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• मर्त्ययोनयः: of mortal/human birth
• मर्त्ययोनयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मर्त्ययोनि (प्रातिपदिक; मर्त्य + योनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; qualifying पितरः

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दिव्ययोनयः: of divine birth
• दिव्ययोनयः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्ययोनि (प्रातिपदिक; दिव्य + योनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; predicate adjective

• स्युः: would become / may be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; Optative, 3rd plural

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

• मधुस्रवसि: at Madhusravas (a sacred place)
• मधुस्रवसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुस्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + स्रवस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular (तीर्थ-नाम)

• तर्पिताः: having been satisfied/propitiated
• तर्पिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तर्पित (कृदन्त; तृप्/तर्प् धातु, णिच् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; PPP; qualifying पितरः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Madhusravā

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a sweet-flowing spring/stream called Madhusravā, a devotee pours sesame-water; ancestral figures transform from ordinary human silhouettes into radiant, deva-like forms ascending amid light.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Madhusravā Tīrtha
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Tarpaṇa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tarpaṇa at Kāśī’s tīrthas is portrayed as transformative, elevating ancestral states toward divine attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Madhusravā Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa at Madhusravā for pitṛs, with the promised fruit of divya-yoni (higher divine condition).