Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

पिण्डेनैकेन मुच्यन्ते तेऽपि तत्र न संशयः । अस्माहके शिला दिव्या तिष्ठते गजसन्निभा

Transliteration

piṇḍenaikena mucyante te'pi tatra na saṃśayaḥ | asmāhake śilā divyā tiṣṭhate gajasannibhā

Translation

Dengan satu persembahan piṇḍa sahaja, bahkan mereka pun dilepaskan di sana—tiada syak lagi. Di wilayah kami berdiri sebuah batu suci yang ilahi, berwujud laksana gajah.

Word by Word

• पिण्डेन: by a piṇḍa (funeral rice-ball)
• पिण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• एकेन: by one (single)
• एकेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पिण्डेन)

• मुच्यन्ते: are liberated/released
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ

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

• न: not/no
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अस्माहके: in ours/among us (in our place)
• अस्माहके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्वकीयार्थे (our/pertaining to us)

• शिला: a stone/rock
• शिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शिला)

• तिष्ठते: stands/remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• गजसन्निभा: resembling an elephant
• गजसन्निभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुष (गज-सन्निभा = गजवत् सन्निभा), विशेषणम् (शिला)

Speaker

Tīrtha-māhātmya narrator (contextual; likely a sage addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā) with a divya-śilā (gaja-sannibhā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the bank of the Revā, pilgrims gather around an elephant-shaped sacred stone; a householder offers a single piṇḍa with folded hands, while subtle ancestral figures are shown being uplifted.

Characters & Entities

• Piṇḍa (offering)
• Preta-afflicted beings (implied)
• Divine śilā (Gayāśiras-śilā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate ritual action—even a single piṇḍa—can become a vehicle of liberation when performed at a sanctified tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gayāśiras-śilā tīrtha associated with the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer even a single piṇḍa at this tīrtha; it is declared sufficient to free afflicted beings.