Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

क्षीरेण तु तिलैः श्वेतैः स्नात्वा सारस्वते जले । पितॄंस्तर्पयते यस्तु तृप्तास्तत्पितरो ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

kṣīreṇa tu tilaiḥ śvetaiḥ snātvā sārasvate jale | pitṝṃstarpayate yastu tṛptāstatpitaro dhruvam

Translation

பாலும் வெள்ளை எள்ளும் கொண்டு சரஸ்வதியின் நீரில் நீராடி, யார் பித்ருக்களுக்கு தர்ப்பணம் செய்கிறாரோ, அவருடைய பித்ருக்கள் உறுதியாகத் திருப்தியடைவார்கள்।

Word by Word

• kṣīreṇa: with milk
• kṣīreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (particle)

• tilaiḥ: with sesame seeds
• tilaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• śvetaiḥ: white
• śvetaiḥ: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘tilaiḥ’ इति विशेषण

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having bathed)

• sārasvate: in the Sarasvatī (related)
• sārasvate: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘jale’ इति विशेषण (Sarasvatī-related)

• jale: water
• jale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• pitṝn: the ancestors
• pitṝn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• tarpayate: satisfies (offers tarpaṇa to)
• tarpayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṛp (धातु) with causative (णिच्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; णिजन्त (causative: causes to be satisfied = offers libations)

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

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक

• tṛptāḥ: satisfied
• tṛptāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛp (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेयविशेषण (of pitaraḥ)

• tatpitaraḥ: his ancestors
• tatpitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य पितरः = his ancestors)

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (certainly)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (Sārasvata-jala) at Mokṣatīrtha context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on Sarasvatī, a devotee bathes while holding a small vessel of milk; white sesame is sprinkled into the water; then tarpaṇa is offered with cupped hands, with a serene, purified atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Pitṛs
• Kṣīra (milk)
• Śveta-tila (white sesame)
• Tarpaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity and heartfelt ancestral offerings are presented as effective means to bring peace and satisfaction to one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī waters at the Mokṣatīrtha/Lohayaṣṭikā sacred region in Dharmāraṇya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe in Sarasvatī water using milk and white sesame, then perform pitṛ-tarpaṇa to ensure ancestral satisfaction.