Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तर्पणात्पिंडदानाच्च नरकेष्वपि संस्थिताः । स्वर्गं प्रयांति पितरः सुपुत्रेणेह तारिताः

Transliteration

tarpaṇātpiṃḍadānācca narakeṣvapi saṃsthitāḥ | svargaṃ prayāṃti pitaraḥ suputreṇeha tāritāḥ

Translation

Pelas oferendas de água (tarpaṇa) e pela doação de piṇḍas, até os antepassados que jazem nos infernos alcançam o céu—salvos aqui por um filho digno.

Word by Word

• तर्पणात्: from (the act of) tarpaṇa
• तर्पणात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative), एकवचनम्; हेतौ (from/through the act of offering libations)

• पिण्डदानात्: from (the act of) offering piṇḍas
• पिण्डदानात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-दान (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• नरकेषु: in hells
• नरकेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), बहुवचनम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (particle; even/also)

• संस्थिताः: situated, dwelling
• संस्थिताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying pitaraḥ)

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati/Karma (गति/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• प्रयान्ति: go, proceed
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• सुपुत्रेण: by a good son
• सुपुत्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक; सु + पुत्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (here/in this world)

• तारिताः: saved, delivered
• तारिताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तॄ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying pitaraḥ)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (pitṛ-tarpaṇa/śrāddha-pradhāna tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted son at a sacred riverbank in Prabhāsa offers water with cupped palms and places rice piṇḍas on darbha, while subtle ancestral figures rise from a dark nether realm toward a luminous heaven.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Naraka
• Svarga
• Tarpaṇa
• Piṇḍa-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Filial rites for the ancestors, especially at sacred places, are portrayed as powerful acts of rescue and uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s ritual setting, where tarpaṇa and piṇḍa offerings are being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa (water/libations) and piṇḍa-dāna (rice-ball offerings) for the pitṛs.