Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तावद्भ्रमंति संसारे पितरः पिंडतत्पराः । यावत्कुले भक्तियुतः स्तो नैव प्रजायते

Transliteration

tāvadbhramaṃti saṃsāre pitaraḥ piṃḍatatparāḥ | yāvatkule bhaktiyutaḥ sto naiva prajāyate

Translation

Enquanto os ancestrais vagueiam no saṃsāra, atentos apenas às oferendas de piṇḍa, assim será, enquanto nessa linhagem não nascer um devoto dotado de bhakti.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long (as)
• तावत्: Kala/Avadhi (Temporal limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/परिमाण-शब्द)
• Form: अव्ययम्; परिमाण/अवधि-अर्थे (so long/that much)

• भ्रमन्ति: wander, roam
• भ्रमन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• संसारे: in the world/cycle of existence
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्

• पितरः: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• पिण्ड-तत्पराः: intent on the funeral offering (piṇḍa)
• पिण्ड-तत्पराः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (determinative: ‘intent on piṇḍa’); पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit marker/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्ययम्; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धे (as long as)

• कुले: in the family/lineage
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• भक्ति-युतः: endowed with devotion
• भक्ति-युतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (endowed with devotion); पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः (negation particle)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपातः (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• प्रजायते: is born, arises
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), आत्मनेपदम्; प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Unknown (Tīrthamāhātmya context; internal narrator not provided in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a riverside or seashore ghat, a householder offers piṇḍas; behind, translucent ancestral figures appear restless. A child/devotee in the family chants Hari-nāma, and the ancestors begin to rise peacefully, indicating uplift through bhakti.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Piṇḍa (funerary offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual support to ancestors is limited; the birth of a true bhakta in a lineage is portrayed as a decisive uplift for the family and pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it addresses pitṛ-benefit through bhakti within a tīrthamāhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-offering (a Śrāddha-related act) is referenced, but the verse emphasizes bhakti as the deeper salvific factor.