Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 184

Devanagari script

प्रेतत्वान्मुच्यते शीघ्रमेरण्ड्यां पिण्डतर्पणैः । दानानि तत्र देयानि ह्यन्नमुख्यानि सर्वदा

Transliteration

pretatvānmucyate śīghrameraṇḍyāṃ piṇḍatarpaṇaiḥ | dānāni tatra deyāni hyannamukhyāni sarvadā

Translation

Dengan mempersembahkan piṇḍa dan tarpaṇa di Eraṇḍī, seseorang segera terlepas daripada keadaan sebagai preta. Oleh itu, di sana hendaklah sentiasa diberikan dāna, terutama dāna berupa makanan.

Word by Word

• प्रेतत्वात्: from the state of being a preta
• प्रेतत्वात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत-त्व (प्रातिपदिक; प्रेत + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त भाववाचक (‘प्रेतत्व’ = state of being a preta)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एरण्ड्यां: at Eraṇḍī (place)
• एरण्ड्यां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एरण्डी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (place-name)

• पिण्डतर्पणैः: by piṇḍa-offerings and libations
• पिण्डतर्पणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + तर्पण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (‘पिण्डैः तर्पणम्’/‘पिण्डतर्पण’ कर्मधारयवत्)

• दानानि: gifts, donations
• दानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• देयानि: to be given, should be given
• देयानि: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → देय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘देय’ (gerundive/obligatory) विशेषण (दानानि)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अन्नमुख्यानि: chiefly consisting of food
• अन्नमुख्यानि: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्न-मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक; अन्न + मुख्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषण (दानानि/देयानि)

• सर्वदा: at all times
• सर्वदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator within Revākhaṇḍa (tīrtha-māhātmya instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Eraṇḍī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira) in chapter context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a riverbank, the patron offers rice-balls and water-libations; a subtle, compassionate vision of a preta being relieved and uplifted; nearby, food is distributed to brāhmaṇas and the poor.

Characters & Entities

• Eraṇḍī
• Piṇḍa
• Tarpaṇa
• Preta
• Dāna
• Anna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate rites for the departed, performed at empowered tīrthas, are portrayed as swift aids for post-death upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Eraṇḍī (within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, linked to the Revā/Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform piṇḍa and tarpaṇa at Eraṇḍī, and give dāna there—particularly anna-dāna (food charity).