Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गोप्रचारे तु यः पिण्डा ञ्छमीपत्रप्रमाणतः । कन्दमूलफलाद्यैर्वा दत्त्वा स्वर्गं नयेत्पितॄन्

Transliteration

gopracāre tu yaḥ piṇḍā ñchamīpatrapramāṇataḥ | kandamūlaphalādyairvā dattvā svargaṃ nayetpitṝn

Translation

ഗോചരഭൂമിയിൽ ശമീപത്രപരിമാണമുള്ള പിണ്ഡങ്ങൾ കന്ദം, മൂലം, ഫലം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് ഒരുക്കി അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ പിതൃകളെ സ്വർഗത്തിലേക്ക് നയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गोप्रचारे: in a cow-grazing ground
• गोप्रचारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + प्रचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘in the cow-pasture/grazing ground’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/अव्यय; विशेषार्थक (indeed/but)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• पिण्डान्: piṇḍas (rice-balls)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• शमीपत्रप्रमाणतः: according to the size of a śamī leaf
• शमीपत्रप्रमाणतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शमी + पत्र + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्/तस्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb): ‘according to the measure of shami-leaf’

• कन्दमूलफलाद्यैः: with bulbs, roots, fruits, etc.
• कन्दमूलफलाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्द + मूल + फल + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘with bulbs, roots, fruits, etc.’

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• दत्त्वा: having offered
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having given’

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati-karma (Goal/गत्यर्थकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नयेत्: should lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) → नयेत्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद: ‘should lead’

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

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopracāra (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage/interlocutor in the Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame (commonly Nārada or other ṛṣis; not specified in the given excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in a quiet pastureland near the sea-coast of Prabhāsa shapes small piṇḍas (leaf-sized) from fruits/roots, offering them with water-libations while envisioning ancestors ascending to svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Goṣpada (tīrtha)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Śamī (tree/leaf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even modest, nature-based offerings made according to dharmic measure can powerfully benefit the ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goṣpada-tīrtha’s associated area described as the go-pracāra (cow-grazing grounds) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna in the go-pracāra using piṇḍas sized like a śamī leaf, made from bulbs/roots/fruits, for Pitṛs’ svarga-gati.