Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां स्नानं च विहितं सदा । पिण्याकेंगुदकेनापि पिंडं तत्र ददाति यः । पितॄणामक्षयं भूयात्पितृलोकं स गच्छति

Transliteration

kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ snānaṃ ca vihitaṃ sadā | piṇyākeṃgudakenāpi piṃḍaṃ tatra dadāti yaḥ | pitṝṇāmakṣayaṃ bhūyātpitṛlokaṃ sa gacchati

Translation

В четырнадцатый день тёмной половины месяца (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa) омовение всегда предписано. Кто там подносит пинду (piṇḍa), даже водой, смешанной с жмыхом (piṇyāka), дарует предкам неистощимое благо и сам достигает мира Питров (Pitṛloka).

Word by Word

• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: in the dark fortnight
• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कृष्णस्य पक्षः (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष)

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth lunar day
• caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• vihitam: is prescribed/ordained
• vihitam: Karta-predicative (Predicate/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: कृत-प्रत्यय (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive sense)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• piṇyāka-iṅgudakena: with oil-cake and iṅguda-water
• piṇyāka-iṅgudakena: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇyāka + iṅgudaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पिण्याक + इङ्गुदक (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व), साधन-भाव (instrumental)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• piṇḍam: rice-ball offering (piṇḍa)
• piṇḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• dadāti: gives/offers
• dadāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

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

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• akṣayam: imperishable (benefit)
• akṣayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (implied: phalam)

• bhūyāt: may it be/it would become
• bhūyāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pitṛ-lokam: the world of the ancestors
• pitṛ-lokam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पितॄणां लोकः (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

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

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a coastal/riverine tīrtha in Prabhāsa: a devotee completes snāna on kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī and offers piṇḍas with a small vessel of water mixed with oil-cake; subtle presence of pitṛs receiving the offering; Somnātha/Śaiva aura in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Snāna
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Pitṛs
• Pitṛloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even modest ancestral offerings, when aligned with sacred time and place, are said to yield enduring benefit for the pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “there” refers to the Prabhāsa/Sarasvatī tīrtha setting being described in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṛṣṇapakṣa Caturdaśī bathing, and offering piṇḍa to ancestors—permitted even with simple piṇyāka-mixed water.