Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

पिण्डं दद्याच्च पित्रादेरात्मनोऽपि स्वयं नरः । पिण्याकेंगुदकेनापि तेन मुच्येद्वरानने

Transliteration

piṇḍaṃ dadyācca pitrāderātmano'pi svayaṃ naraḥ | piṇyākeṃgudakenāpi tena mucyedvarānane

Translation

മനുഷ്യൻ പിതൃകൾക്കായി സ്വയം പിണ്ഡം അർപ്പിക്കണം, തനിക്കായും അർപ്പിക്കണം; പിണ്യാകം (എണ്ണക്കട്ടി)യും ജലവും മാത്രം കൊണ്ടായാലും അതിനാൽ മോക്ഷം ലഭിക്കും, ഹേ സുന്ദരമുഖീ।

Word by Word

• पिण्डम्: rice-ball offering (piṇḍa)
• पिण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• दद्याच्: should give
• दद्याच्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• पित्रादेः: of the father and other (ancestors)
• पित्रादेः: Sampradana/Adhikarana (Reference; for ancestors)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘पितृ-आदि’ = पितरः आदयः यस्य/येषाम्

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Karta (Agent qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वयंकर्तृवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

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

• पिण्याक-इङ्गुदकेन: with oil-cake and with iṅguda-water
• पिण्याक-इङ्गुदकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्याक + इङ्गुदक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (पिण्याकं च इङ्गुदकं च)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (even/also)

• तेन: by that (act/means)
• तेन: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मुच्येत्: would be freed
• मुच्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर-आनन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वरं आननं यस्याः’ (vocative address)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; addressing a feminine listener indicated by 'varānane')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Goṣpada

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānanā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary pilgrim offers piṇḍas on kuśa grass near water; the offerings are simple, yet a luminous path opens upward, symbolizing release; a compassionate feminine listener is implied off-frame.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Piṇḍa (śrāddha offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincerity in śrāddha matters: even simple materials offered with devotion can yield powerful purification and release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding context is Goṣpada-tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna for ancestors (and for oneself), permissible even with minimal offerings like oil-cake and water.