Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यस्तु श्रावयते श्राद्धे पठेत्पितृपरायणः । अक्षयं जायते पुण्यमित्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

yastu śrāvayate śrāddhe paṭhetpitṛparāyaṇaḥ | akṣayaṃ jāyate puṇyamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

Namun sesiapa yang berbakti kepada para Pitṛ, lalu memperdengarkan ini dalam upacara śrāddha atau membacanya sendiri, akan lahir pahala yang akṣaya, tidak binasa—demikian sabda Śaṅkara (Śiva).

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle: but/indeed)

• śrāvayate: causes to be heard; has (it) recited
• śrāvayate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) [णिच् causative: śrāvaya]
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative)

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (locative)

• paṭhet: should recite/read
• paṭhet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• pitṛ-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to the ancestors
• pitṛ-parāyaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (pitṝṇāṃ parāyaṇaḥ / pitṛṣu parāyaṇaḥ—devoted to ancestors); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• jāyate: arises; is produced
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्तृस्थानीयं (subject of jāyate)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-saṅgraha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• evam: in this way
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: thus/in this manner)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• abravīt: said; spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (quoting Śaṅkara/Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-māhātmya (śrāddha-śravaṇa phala)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as rājendra/nṛpottama in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: a householder offers piṇḍa and water to Pitṛs while a learned reciter chants the tīrtha-māhātmya; Śiva’s presence is implied as a blessing above.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acts done with pitṛ-bhakti—especially sacred recitation and listening during śrāddha—generate enduring (akṣaya) merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-māhātmya under discussion in Revā Khaṇḍa; the verse highlights its use within śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha, arrange śravaṇa (having it recited/heard) and/or perform pāṭha (recitation) with devotion to the Pitṛs.