Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

श्राद्धं कृत्वा परश्राद्धे यस्तु भुंक्ते च विह्वलः । पतंति पितरस्तस्य लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः

Transliteration

śrāddhaṃ kṛtvā paraśrāddhe yastu bhuṃkte ca vihvalaḥ | pataṃti pitarastasya luptapiṇḍodakakriyāḥ

Translation

ശ്രാദ്ധം നടത്തി കഴിഞ്ഞ്, വിശപ്പിന്റെ മോഹത്തിൽ വിഹ്വലനായി മറ്റൊരാളുടെ ശ്രാദ്ധത്തിൽ ഭക്ഷണം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ തന്റെ പിതൃങ്ങളെ പതനത്തിലാക്കുന്നു; കാരണം അവന്റെ പിണ്ഡ-ഉദകക്രിയകൾ ലുപ്തപ്രായമായി നിഷ്ഫലമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकर्म-क्रिया

• परश्राद्धे: in another’s śrāddha
• परश्राद्धे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर-श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (परस्य श्राद्धम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (संबन्धि-प्रत्यय)

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

• भुङ्क्ते: eats
• भुङ्क्ते: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• विह्वलः: confused, distressed
• विह्वलः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विह्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यः इति)

• पतन्ति: fall (down)
• पतन्ति: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः: (whose) piṇḍa-and-water rites are lapsed
• लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुप्त- पिण्ड- उदक- क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक); लुप्त (कृदन्त-विशेषण) + पिण्ड + उदक + क्रिया
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (लुप्ताः पिण्डोदकक्रियाः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Purāṇic narration style within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral warning scene: a man, having completed śrāddha rites, is tempted by another śrāddha feast; behind him, faint ancestral figures appear distressed and descending, while the proper path shows restraint and reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Piṇḍa
• Udaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed and casualness can nullify sacred offerings; restraint protects the spiritual efficacy of pitṛ-tarpaṇa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The warning appears within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, emphasizing disciplined conduct for pilgrims and householders alike.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After conducting one’s own śrāddha, one should not eat in another’s śrāddha, lest one’s own pitṛ-offerings be rendered ineffective.