Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

विक्रेष्यामि महामांसं समेत्य पितृकाननम् । तत्र राक्षसवेतालपिशाचादिषु सर्वशः

Transliteration

vikreṣyāmi mahāmāṃsaṃ sametya pitṛkānanam | tatra rākṣasavetālapiśācādiṣu sarvaśaḥ

Translation

“Aku akan pergi ke rimba para Pitṛ (leluhur) dan menjual daging dalam jumlah besar. Di sana, dalam kalangan rākṣasa, vetāla, piśāca dan seumpamanya—dari segenap penjuru—mereka akan berhimpun.”

Word by Word

• विक्रेष्यामि: I shall sell
• विक्रेष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-क्रि (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महामांसम्: great quantity of flesh
• महामांसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महद् मांसम्)

• समेत्य: having gone to
• समेत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-इ (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'having gone/approached'

• पितृ-काननम्: the forest of the Pitṛs (ancestral grove/cremation-forest)
• पितृ-काननम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां काननम्)

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

• राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-आदिषु: among rākṣasas, vetālas, piśācas, etc.
• राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-आदिषु: Adhikarana (Location/Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक) + वेताल (प्रातिपदिक) + पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (राक्षसाः च वेतालाः च पिशाचाः च) + 'आदि' (etc.)

• सर्वशः: everywhere / in all respects
• सर्वशः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'in every way/entirely')

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Setukhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: पितृकानन (आख्यान-स्थल)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: घन-वनं, अस्थि-वृक्ष-छाया, कपाल-चिह्नित-भूमि; नायकः मांस-भारं वहन्/विक्रयार्थं स्थापयन्; दूरं राक्षस-वेताल-पिशाच-समूहाः आकर्षिताः।

Characters & Entities

• pitṛkānana
• rākṣasa
• vetāla
• piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays tamasic temptations—meat, fearsome beings, and funerary spaces—used as bait; Purāṇas often use such scenes to caution against adharma-driven strategies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it references a pitṛkānana (ancestral grove) as a narrative location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No orthodox ritual is prescribed; the verse describes a scheme involving summoning/attracting beings, which is narrative rather than a dhārmic injunction.