Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्रेता भवन्ति सुप्रीता युगमेकं महीपते । सपुत्रो जायते मर्त्यः प्रतिजन्म नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

pretā bhavanti suprītā yugamekaṃ mahīpate | saputro jāyate martyaḥ pratijanma nṛpottama

Translation

Wahai mahīpati, para preta menjadi amat berkenan sepanjang satu yuga. Dan wahai nṛpottama, insan itu lahir dari hayat ke hayat dengan kurnia zuriat lelaki.

Word by Word

• प्रेताः: departed spirits
• प्रेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• भवन्ति: become/are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Plural)

• सुप्रीताः: very pleased
• सुप्रीताः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + प्रीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; qualifying प्रेताः)

• युगम्: for an age/period
• युगम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-प्रवृत्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; duration)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying युगम्)

• महीपते: O king (lord of the earth)
• महीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘महीपते’ (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• सपुत्रः: having a son
• सपुत्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘पुत्रः अस्य अस्ति’ (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘having a son’)

• जायते: is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal (man)
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• प्रतिजन्म: in every birth
• प्रतिजन्म: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable adverb: 'in each birth')

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (māhīpati/nṛpottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ancestral spirits (pitṛs) depicted serene and luminous above the riverbank rite, receiving offerings; below, the kingly performer completes śrāddha; symbolic imagery of a flourishing family tree and children indicates putra-lābha across births.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nṛpa (King)
• Pretas (Departed ancestors/spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acts connected with a sacred tīrtha can bring deep ancestral satisfaction and confer enduring family prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha being praised in Revā Khaṇḍa, in the ongoing description of the local sacred place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies ancestral-pleasing rites connected with the tīrtha (contextually śrāddha/tarpana), though it does not name a specific act here.