Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

मन्वादौ च युगादौ च व्यतीपाते दिनक्षये । यो दद्यात्पितृमातृभ्यः सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

manvādau ca yugādau ca vyatīpāte dinakṣaye | yo dadyātpitṛmātṛbhyaḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

मन्वंतराच्या आरंभी, युगाच्या आरंभी, व्यतीपातकाळी आणि दिवसाच्या शेवटी—जो पितरांना व मातृगणांना दान देतो, तो अश्वमेधयज्ञाचे फल मिळवतो।

Word by Word

• मन्वादौ: at the beginning of a Manvantara
• मन्वादौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मन्वन्तरस्य आदौ); कालाधिकरण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• युगादौ: at the beginning of a yuga
• युगादौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (युगस्य आदौ); कालाधिकरण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• व्यतीपाते: on Vyatīpāta (occasion)
• व्यतीपाते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतीपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; पर्वविशेष (astronomical occasion); कालाधिकरण

• दिनक्षये: at day’s end
• दिनक्षये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दिनस्य क्षये); कालाधिकरण

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दद्यात्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितृमातृभ्यः: to the fathers and mothers (ancestors)
• पितृमातृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative); बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (to fathers and mothers/ancestors)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; अन्वय-सर्वनाम (correlative)

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु) → लभेत्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asmāhaka

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liminal-time ritual: sunset (dinakṣaya) on a riverbank, with a priest marking vyatīpāta/auspicious conjunction; offerings made to pitṛs and mātṛs; a symbolic horse-sacrifice motif appears as a faint celestial emblem indicating Aśvamedha-equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Manvādī
• Yugādī
• Vyatīpāta
• Pitṛs
• Mātṛs
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Giving at sacred times (kāla-viśeṣa) and honoring one’s lineage magnifies merit to the level of royal sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse foregrounds sacred times more than a named site; it continues the Revā Khaṇḍa dharma context of tīrtha-based merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Charitable giving/offerings (dāna) directed to pitṛs and mātṛs on manvādi, yugādi, vyatīpāta, and at day’s end.