Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तेऽपि यांति परं स्थानं यत्र देवो महेश्वरः । तिलोदकप्रदानेन मातृकाः पैतृकास्तथा

Transliteration

te'pi yāṃti paraṃ sthānaṃ yatra devo maheśvaraḥ | tilodakapradānena mātṛkāḥ paitṛkāstathā

Translation

അവരും ദേവൻ മഹേശ്വരൻ വസിക്കുന്ന പരമസ്ഥാനത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. കൂടാതെ തിലോദകം (എള്ളുകലർന്ന ജലം) അർപ്പിച്ചതാൽ മാതൃപക്ഷവും പിതൃപക്ഷവും ആയ പിതൃഗണങ്ങളും അതുപോലെ അനുഗ്രഹം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थ (also/even)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; √या—'to go'

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying स्थानम्)

• स्थानम्: abode/place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara (the Great Lord)
• महेश्वरः: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् ईश्वरः)

• तिलोदकप्रदानेन: by the offering of sesame-water
• तिलोदकप्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल-उदक-प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक; तिल + उदक + प्रदान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (तिलेन उदकेन वा/तिलोदकेन प्रदानम्) — Instrumental: 'by/through offering sesame-water'

• मातृकाः: the mothers (maternal ancestors)
• मातृकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पैतृकाः: paternal (ancestral)
• पैतृकाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पैतृक (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ-सम्बन्धी)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying implied 'पितरः' or a class of ancestors)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (thus/likewise)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (tilodaka-pradāna-sthāna)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at the water’s edge offers tilodaka (sesame-water) with cupped hands; subtle ancestral figures receive it; above, Maheśvara’s abode is hinted as a luminous realm.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Ancestors (pitṛs)
• tilodaka (sesame-water offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) performed in a holy Śiva-kṣetra becomes a powerful act of dharma with far-reaching benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa Śiva-kṣetra connected with the Aśvamedha/Daśāśvamedha tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tilodaka-pradāna—offering sesame and water as tarpaṇa for maternal and paternal lines.