Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

पितॄणां वल्लभे तीर्थे पिण्डेनैकेन तर्प्पिताः । ब्रह्मलोकं गमिष्यंति गयाश्राद्धकृतो यथा

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṃ vallabhe tīrthe piṇḍenaikena tarppitāḥ | brahmalokaṃ gamiṣyaṃti gayāśrāddhakṛto yathā

Translation

പിതൃകൾക്ക് പ്രിയമായ ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഒരൊറ്റ പിണ്ഡം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ തൃപ്തരായ പിതൃഗണം, ഗയാശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്തതുപോലെ, ബ്രഹ്മലോകത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), बहुवचनम्

• वल्लभे: dear/beloved
• वल्लभे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vallabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (tīrthe)

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पिण्डेन: with a piṇḍa (rice-ball offering)
• पिण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एकेन: with one (single)
• एकेन: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (piṇḍena)

• तर्पिताः: satisfied
• तर्पिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛp (धा॒तु) (तर्पयति इति causative-base)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘तर्पित’; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Brahma-loka
• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (brahmaṇaḥ lokaḥ)

• गमिष्यन्ति: will go
• गमिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धा॒तु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• गयाश्राद्धकृतः: like those who performed the Gayā śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धकृतः: Upamana/Drishtanta (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; कृत (√कृ, क्त) = done/performed; समासः: गयायां श्राद्धं कृतवन्तः (those who have performed Gayā-śrāddha)

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपमानार्थक-अव्ययम् (comparative particle: as/like)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa offers a single piṇḍa on kuśa grass near sacred waters while invoking the pitṛs; subtle vision of ancestors rising toward Brahmaloka, with the tīrtha’s sanctity radiating like a halo.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• piṇḍa
• Brahmaloka
• Gayā
• Prācīna Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is portrayed as exceptionally efficacious for pitṛ-kārya: even minimal offerings can yield lofty results when made in the right sacred setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The pitṛ-beloved tīrtha in context is Prācīna Tīrtha in Prabhāsa, compared in efficacy to Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa offering (piṇḍa-dāna/tarpaṇa) for ancestors; the verse also references the model of Gayā-śrāddha.