Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

तिष्ठन्ति पितरः सर्वे सर्वतीर्थाधिकं ततः । स्थिता ब्रह्मशिला तत्र गजकुम्भनिभा नृप

Transliteration

tiṣṭhanti pitaraḥ sarve sarvatīrthādhikaṃ tataḥ | sthitā brahmaśilā tatra gajakumbhanibhā nṛpa

Translation

అక్కడ సమస్త పితృదేవతలు నివసిస్తారు; అందువల్ల అది అన్ని తీర్థాలకన్నా అధికమైనది. ఓ రాజా, అక్కడ గజకుంభసమమైన బ్రహ్మశిల నిలిచి ఉంది।

Word by Word

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand, remain
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• पितरः: ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सर्वतीर्थाधिकम्: superior to all pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थाधिकम्: Karma/Predicative (Object/Complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण—'सर्वतीर्थेभ्यः अधिकम्' (superior to all tīrthas)

• ततः: therefore, from that
• ततः: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः—अपादान/हेतुवाचक (therefore/from that)

• स्थिता: situated, standing
• स्थिता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; 'स्थित' = standing/placed

• ब्रह्मशिला: the Brahma-stone (sacred rock)
• ब्रह्मशिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'ब्रह्मणः शिला'

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• गजकुम्भनिभा: resembling an elephant’s temple (forehead)
• गजकुम्भनिभा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज + कुम्भ + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः—'गजकुम्भवत् निभा' (elephant-temple-like)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator addressing a king; tīrtha-description mode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmaśilā-tīrtha (Gayāśiras-associated)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A prominent rounded stone (Brahmaśilā) on the riverbank, shaped like an elephant’s forehead; unseen pitṛs gather around it while a king listens to the narration of its supremacy.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Brahmaśilā
• Narmadā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supreme when the Pitṛs are especially accessible there; sacred markers like Brahmaśilā signify intensified spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā tīrtha-region, specifically a locale marked by the Brahmaśilā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicit here, but the context indicates pitṛ rites (piṇḍa and udaka offerings) performed at/near Brahmaśilā.