Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पितॄनुद्दिश्य यो मर्त्यश्चातुर्मास्येऽन्नदो भवेत् । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा पितृलोकमवामुयात्

Transliteration

pitṝnuddiśya yo martyaścāturmāsye'nnado bhavet | sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā pitṛlokamavāmuyāt

Translation

പിതൃന്മാരെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് ചാതുര്മാസ്യത്തിൽ അന്നദാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മർത്ത്യൻ, സർവ്വപാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു ശുദ്ധനായി പിതൃലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• पितॄन्: the forefathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• उद्दिश्य: intending; dedicating (to)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having intended/aimed at’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative of time

• अन्न-दः: giver of food
• अन्न-दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अन्नं ददाति इति)

• भवेत्: may become; would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्व-पाप-विशुद्ध-आत्मा: one whose self is purified of all sins
• सर्व-पाप-विशुद्ध-आत्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; √शुध् (धातु) से) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्यान्तःकरणं सर्वपापैः विशुद्धम्)

• पितृ-लोकम्: the world of the forefathers
• पितृ-लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां लोकः)

• अवामुयात्: may attain; should reach
• अवामुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आ-√मु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should reach/attain’

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator addressing Devarṣi Nārada (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder in monsoon season makes a pitṛ-saṅkalpa and serves food to guests/poor, with subtle presence of ancestral figures receiving the offering in a luminous, unseen realm.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pitṛloka
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity dedicated to ancestors becomes a pitr-yajña: it purifies sin and is said to lead to Pitṛloka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse centers on ancestral intention and the sacred season of Cāturmāsya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform annadāna in Cāturmāsya with explicit dedication to the Pitṛs (ancestor-intent charity).