Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा नरः सम्यक्पितॄणां निर्वपेन्नरः । सप्तवर्षायुतान्येव पितॄणां तृप्तिमावहेत्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā naraḥ samyakpitṝṇāṃ nirvapennaraḥ | saptavarṣāyutānyeva pitṝṇāṃ tṛptimāvahet

Translation

അവിടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് മനുഷ്യൻ പിതൃദേവന്മാർക്കായി യഥാവിധി പിണ്ഡ-തർപ്പണം അർപ്പിക്കണം; അതിനാൽ പിതാക്കൾക്ക് എഴുപതിനായിരം വർഷം തൃപ്തി ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly, well
• सम्यक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄणाम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान) (intended beneficiaries)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• निर्वपेत्: should offer (oblations)
• निर्वपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्√वप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नरः: the man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-कर्ता

• सप्त-वर्ष-अयुतानि: seven tens-of-thousands of years
• सप्त-वर्ष-अयुतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म) (measure of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + वर्ष + अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—वर्षाणाम् अयुतानि (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) तथा ‘सप्त’ इति संख्यापूर्वपद

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आवहेत्: would bring about
• आवहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitoyā (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (naimiṣāraṇya frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a sacred riverbank in Prabhāsa performs snāna, then offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle presence of pitṛs receiving the offering, with tīrtha markers and ascetics nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Ṛṣitoyā (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only self-purification but also service to lineage—ancestral offerings performed at a tīrtha generate enduring benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha associated with the Ṛṣitoyā river near Devakula in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) followed by Pitṛ oblations (nirvapana/tarpaṇa), yielding prolonged Pitṛ satisfaction (stated as 70,000 years).