Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तर्पिताः पितरो येन संप्राप्य मणिकर्णिकाम् । सप्तसप्त तथा सप्त पूर्वजास्तेन तारिताः

Transliteration

tarpitāḥ pitaro yena saṃprāpya maṇikarṇikām | saptasapta tathā sapta pūrvajāstena tāritāḥ

Translation

ଯେ ମଣିକର୍ଣ୍ଣିକାକୁ ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ କରି ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ତର୍ପଣଦ୍ୱାରା ତୃପ୍ତ କରେ, ସେ ନିଜ ପୂର୍ବଜମାନଙ୍କୁ—ସାତ, ସାତ ଏବଂ ପୁଣି ସାତ ପିଢ଼ି ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ—ତାରିଦିଏ।

Word by Word

• तर्पिताः: satisfied/propitiated
• तर्पिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पितरः: ancestors/fathers
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• सम्प्राप्य: having reached
• सम्प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund), ‘having reached’

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• सप्तसप्त: seven and seven (two sets of seven)
• सप्तसप्त: Visheshana (Numeral modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त + सप्त (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (संख्याद्वन्द्व/iterative: सप्त च सप्त); अव्ययवत् संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral qualifier), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचनार्थ (collective)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: likewise/also)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Numeral modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; (अत्र) प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थ (numeral qualifier)

• पूर्वजाः: forefathers/ancestors
• पूर्वजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• तारिताः: were delivered/saved
• तारिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at the river’s edge offering water with cupped hands (tarpana) at Maṇikarṇikā; translucent ancestral figures receive offerings and rise upward in three tiers, indicating ‘seven-seven-seven’ generations delivered.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acts of devotion and ancestral offerings at a powerful tīrtha can uplift and ‘carry across’ many generations of one’s forebears.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa (satisfying/propitiating the ancestors) performed after reaching Maṇikarṇikā.