Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा विधानेन कृत्वा पिंडोदक क्रियाम् । प्राप्नुयादक्षयांल्लोकान्पितॄनुद्धृत्य पापतः

Transliteration

tatra snātvā vidhānena kṛtvā piṃḍodaka kriyām | prāpnuyādakṣayāṃllokānpitṝnuddhṛtya pāpataḥ

Translation

അവിടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് പിണ്ഡോദക (പിണ്ഡതർപ്പണം) കർമ്മം നിർവഹിച്ചാൽ, പിതൃകളെ പാപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഉദ್ಧരിച്ച് അക്ഷയ ലോകങ്ങൾ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having bathed’

• विधानेन: according to the prescribed rite
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having performed’

• पिण्डोदकक्रियाम्: the piṇḍa-and-water rite (for ancestors)
• पिण्डोदकक्रियाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-उदक-क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पिण्डः च उदकं च (द्वन्द्व) तयोः क्रिया इति (समाहार/तत्पुरुष-सम्बन्ध); अर्थतः ‘पिण्ड-उदक-क्रिया’ (piṇḍa offerings and water-libation rite)

• प्राप्नुयात्: would attain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अक्षयान्: imperishable
• अक्षयान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies ‘लोकान्’)

• लोकान्: worlds/realms
• लोकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पितॄन्: ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• उद्धृत्य: having rescued
• उद्धृत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having lifted/rescued’

• पापतः: from sin
• पापतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from sin’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (carried over from the opening ‘Īśvara uvāca’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hiraṇyā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim at dawn bathing in the Hiraṇyā, then seated on kuśa grass offering piṇḍas and pouring water (udaka/tarpaṇa) toward the south; subtle presence of satisfied pitṛs receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Hiraṇyā (implied context)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only self-purification; it extends compassion and dharma to one’s lineage through pitṛ-rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hiraṇyā tīrtha (river) where snāna and ancestral rites are said to be especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ritual bathing (snāna) by rule and performance of piṇḍodaka-kriyā (piṇḍa offering and water rites) for ancestors.