Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

महानदीं प्राप्य दिनं च विष्णोस्तोयांजलिं यस्तुपितॄन्ददाति । श्राद्धं कृतं तेन समाः सहस्रं यच्छन्ति कामान्पितरः सुतृप्ताः

Transliteration

mahānadīṃ prāpya dinaṃ ca viṣṇostoyāṃjaliṃ yastupitṝndadāti | śrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ tena samāḥ sahasraṃ yacchanti kāmānpitaraḥ sutṛptāḥ

Translation

ମହାନଦୀକୁ ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ ହୋଇ ବିଷ୍ଣୁଙ୍କ ପବିତ୍ର ଦିନରେ ଯେ କେହି ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ଜଳାଞ୍ଜଳି (ତର୍ପଣ) ଦିଏ, ତାହାଦ୍ୱାରା ସହସ୍ର ବର୍ଷ ସମାନ ଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧ କୃତ ହେଲା ବୋଲି ଗଣ୍ୟ ହୁଏ; ତୃପ୍ତ ପିତୃମାନେ ଇଚ୍ଛିତ ବର ଦିଅନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• mahā-nadīm: the great river
• mahā-nadīm: Karma (Object of prāpya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (great river)

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prāp (धातु) + य (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• dinam: a day
• dinam: Karma (Object; time-span)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• toya-aṃjalim: a water-offering (handful of water)
• toya-aṃjalim: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃjali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (handful/oblation of water)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• pitṝn: the ancestors
• pitṝn: Sampradana/Karma (Recipients)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śrāddham: Śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (That which is performed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛtam: performed
• kṛtam: Predicate (qualifies śrāddham)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि क्त (done)

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Agent in passive sense)/Reference
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samāḥ: years
• samāḥ: Karta (Subject of yacchanti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (year)

• sahasram: a thousand
• sahasram: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (used adverbially as measure), एकवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• yacchanti: grant/bestow
• yacchanti: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु; यच्छति)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāmān: desired objects/boons
• kāmān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• pitaraḥ: the fathers/ancestors
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sutṛptāḥ: fully satisfied
• sutṛptāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of pitaraḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-tṛpta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (well-satisfied); कृदन्तः—क्त (tṛpta)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative style within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahānadī-tīrtha

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a broad sacred riverbank, a devotee stands facing the water, offering an añjali of water for pitṛs; behind, a small Viṣṇu shrine/flag; above, satisfied ancestors appear serene, granting boons.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Pitṛs
• Mahānadī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha-based act of Pitṛ-tarpaṇa, done with devotion on a Viṣṇu-sacred day, is magnified into enduring dharma: it pleases the ancestors and returns blessings to the devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahānadī tīrtha associated with Dvārakā in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Dvārakā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering a water-oblation (toyāñjali / tarpana) to the Pitṛs at the Mahānadī, which is praised as equivalent to having performed Śrāddha for a thousand years.