Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । वाजपेयफलं तस्य पुरा प्रोवाच शङ्करः

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ | vājapeyaphalaṃ tasya purā provāca śaṅkaraḥ

Translation

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । वाजपेयफलं तस्य पुरा प्रोवाच शङ्करः ॥

Word by Word

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

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), परस्मैपदी; अर्थः—‘स्नानं कृत्वा’

• तर्पयेत्: should satisfy/offer libations to
• तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• पितृदेवताः: the ancestral deities (pitṛs)
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां देवताः)

• वाजपेयफलम्: the fruit of the Vājapeya sacrifice
• वाजपेयफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजपेय + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वाजपेयस्य फलम्)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (सामान्यतः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

• प्रोवाच: said/declared
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarpa-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands waist-deep in sacred waters, then performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle ancestral presences appear as luminous silhouettes; above, Śaṅkara’s approving presence is implied as a blessing of equivalence to Vājapeya.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Pitṛs
• Devas
• Sarpa-tīrtha
• Vājapeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple tīrtha-based rites—bathing and honoring ancestors and gods—can bestow merits comparable to grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarpa-tīrtha is praised for granting Vājapeya-equivalent merit through snāna and tarpaṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the tīrtha and tarpaṇa (libations) to Pitṛs and deities.