Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

एवं कृते द्विज श्रेष्ठाः कृतकृत्यो भवेन्नरः । पितॄणामक्षया तृप्तिर्गयाश्राद्धेन वै यथा

Transliteration

evaṃ kṛte dvija śreṣṭhāḥ kṛtakṛtyo bhavennaraḥ | pitṝṇāmakṣayā tṛptirgayāśrāddhena vai yathā

Translation

ହେ ଦ୍ୱିଜଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠମାନେ! ଏଭଳି କଲେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ କୃତକୃତ୍ୟ ହୁଏ; ଏବଂ ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ଅକ୍ଷୟ ତୃପ୍ତି ମିଳେ—ଗୟାଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧ ଯେପରି।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Prakaraṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb ‘thus/in this manner’

• कृते: when done
• कृते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative absolute sense ‘when (this) is done’

• द्विज: O twice-born
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-एकवचन; Vocative singular

• श्रेष्ठाः: O best (ones)
• श्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; used in address (vocative sense)

• कृतकृत्यः: having fulfilled his duty
• कृतकृत्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘one whose duty is done’

• भवेत्: becomes / should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; would become/should become

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• अक्षया: imperishable, inexhaustible
• अक्षया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; agreeing with तृप्तिः

• तृप्तिः: satisfaction
• तृप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• गयाश्राद्धेन: by the Gayā-śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; emphatic particle

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamana/Drishtanta (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; comparative particle ‘as/just as’

Speaker

Deductive (Dvārakā Māhātmya context within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa): a Purāṇic narrator stating the fruit (phalaśruti) of the rite

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (with Gayā as benchmark)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene ritual completion scene: brāhmaṇas blessed and fed, offerings concluded; in a symbolic vignette, ancestors receive luminous satisfaction, with a subtle visual echo of Gayā’s śrāddha tradition as a comparative halo.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly completed rites at a sacred place can yield enduring benefit for one’s ancestors and fulfill one’s obligations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is glorified by equating its rite’s fruit with the renowned Gayā śrāddha; Gayā is cited as a benchmark tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It summarizes the result of performing the previously described sequence of snāna, tarpaṇa, śrāddha, and dāna.