Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तत्र श्राद्धं नरः कृत्वा गां दत्त्वा च पयस्विनीम् । यथोक्तसर्वाभरणां क्षीरोदे वासयेत्पितॄन्

Transliteration

tatra śrāddhaṃ naraḥ kṛtvā gāṃ dattvā ca payasvinīm | yathoktasarvābharaṇāṃ kṣīrode vāsayetpitṝn

Translation

അവിടെ ശ്രാദ്ധം നടത്തി, ശാസ്ത്രവിധിപ്രകാരം സർവ്വാഭരണങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിച്ച പാൽ തരുന്ന പശുവിനെ ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ, ആ മനുഷ്യൻ പിതൃകളെ ക്ഷീരോദലോകത്തിൽ തൃപ്തിയോടെ വസിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: पूर्वकालक्रिया (पूर्वकर्म/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: कृ

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: पूर्वकालक्रिया (पूर्वकर्म/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: दा (to give)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पयस्विनीम्: milk-giving
• पयस्विनीम्: कर्मविशेषण (object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पयस्विनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier of गाम्)

• यथोक्तसर्वाभरणाम्: adorned with all ornaments as prescribed
• यथोक्तसर्वाभरणाम्: कर्मविशेषण (object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यथा + उक्त + सर्व + आभरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: (यथोक्तानि सर्वाणि आभरणानि यस्याः/याम्) — विशेषणम् (qualifier, contextually of गाम्)

• क्षीरोदे: in the Milk-Ocean (place)
• क्षीरोदे: अधिकरण (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर + उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षीरस्य उदः = क्षीरोदः)

• वासयेत्: should cause to dwell/settle
• वासयेत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वासय् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातु: वासय् (णिच् causative of वस्: to cause to dwell)

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄन्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrābdhi / Kṣīroda-tīrtha (before Keśava)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the Kṣīrābdhi tīrtha, a householder performs śrāddha with offerings; a well-adorned milk-cow is gifted; in a visionary overlay, satisfied ancestors dwell in a luminous ‘Kṣīroda’ realm.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣīrābdhi/Kṣīroda
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma toward one’s ancestors—performed at a potent tīrtha with proper charity—brings lasting welfare to the Pitṛs and merit to the doer.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṣīrābdhi/Kṣīroda tīrtha area in Kāśī, associated with ancestral rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha and give go-dāna: a milk-yielding cow, adorned according to injunction.