Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तत्र श्राद्धं नरः कृत्वा दत्त्वा चैव तिलोदकम् । सप्तसप्त तथा सप्त स्ववंश्यांस्तारयिष्यति

Transliteration

tatra śrāddhaṃ naraḥ kṛtvā dattvā caiva tilodakam | saptasapta tathā sapta svavaṃśyāṃstārayiṣyati

Translation

ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਉੱਥੇ ਸ਼੍ਰਾਦ੍ਹ ਕਰਕੇ ਤਿਲ-ਜਲ ਅਰਪਣ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਆਪਣੇ ਕੁਲ ਨੂੰ—ਸੱਤ ਗੁਣਾ ਸੱਤ ਅਤੇ ਫਿਰ ਹੋਰ ਸੱਤ ਪੀੜ੍ਹੀਆਂ ਤੱਕ—ਤਾਰ ਦੇਵੇਗਾ।

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय: "there"

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): "having done"

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund): "having given"

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle): "indeed/just"

• tila-udakam: water with sesame
• tila-udakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: "तिलयुक्तम् उदकम्"; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• sapta-sapta: seven (groups of) seven
• sapta-sapta: Karma (Quantifier/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-द्वन्द्व/पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (distributive): "seven and seven"; अव्ययवत् गणनार्थम्

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय: "thus/likewise"

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Karma (Quantifier/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत् गणनार्थम्

• sva-vaṃśyān: his own lineage-members/descendants
• sva-vaṃśyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: "स्वस्य वंश्याः"; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (accusative plural)

• tārayiṣyati: will deliver/save
• tārayiṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṝ (धातु) + ṇic (णिच् causative)
• Form: णिजन्त-धातु (causative) "तारयति"; लृट्-लकार (future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pādodaka-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder performs śrāddha on the ghat: darbha seat, piṇḍa and water-pot; sesame is poured into the water as tilodaka; subtle presence of satisfied pitṛs in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Pādodaka-tīrtha
• Śrāddha
• Tilodaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are presented as exceptionally effective for pitṛ-kārya—acts done for ancestors ripple through one’s lineage as protection and uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pādodaka-tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha and offering tilodaka (sesame-water) at the tīrtha.