Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

एकः पिण्डप्रदानं च पितृतीर्थे समाचरेत् । अन्यः पश्यति मामत्र फलं ताभ्यां समं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ekaḥ piṇḍapradānaṃ ca pitṛtīrthe samācaret | anyaḥ paśyati māmatra phalaṃ tābhyāṃ samaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ഒരാൾ പിതൃതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ വിധിപൂർവ്വം പിണ്ഡപ്രദാനം നടത്തുന്നു; മറ്റൊരാൾ ഇവിടെ എന്നെ ദർശിക്കുന്നു—ഇരുവർക്കും ഫലം സമമാണെന്ന് സ്മൃതം പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पिण्ड-प्रदानम्: offering of rice-balls (piṇḍa)
• पिण्ड-प्रदानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्)

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

• पितृ-तीर्थे: at the ancestral sacred ford
• पितृ-तीर्थे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां तीर्थम्)

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• ताभ्याम्: with those two / than those two
• ताभ्याम्: Upamana/Comparison (उपमान/तुलना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (फलम्)

• स्मृतम्: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (फलम्) इति विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pitṛ-tīrtha (within Prabhāsa ambit)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at Prabhāsa offers water with black sesame and a piṇḍa on darbha near a tīrtha edge, then turns to behold the deity—ancestral spirits shown as subtle luminous figures receiving peace from the shared merit.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Pitṛtīrtha
• Piṇḍa-pradāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse elevates Prabhāsa-darśana as equal in merit to important ancestral rites performed at a Pitṛtīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; additionally, a Pitṛtīrtha (ancestral holy place) is referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-pradāna—offering piṇḍas for ancestors—performed at a Pitṛtīrtha.