Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

मासान्ते पितरो नृणां वीक्षन्ते सन्ततिं स्वकाम् । कश्चिदस्मत्कुलेऽस्माकं पिण्डमत्र प्रदास्यति

Transliteration

māsānte pitaro nṛṇāṃ vīkṣante santatiṃ svakām | kaścidasmatkule'smākaṃ piṇḍamatra pradāsyati

Translation

เมื่อสิ้นเดือนทุกครั้ง เหล่าปิตฤ (บรรพชน) ย่อมมองมายังวงศ์สกุลของตนในหมู่มนุษย์ พลางรำพึงว่า: ‘จะมีผู้ใดในตระกูลเรามาถวายปิณฑะที่นี่หรือไม่?’

Word by Word

• मासान्ते: at month’s end
• मासान्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास-अन्त (प्रातिपदिक; मास + अन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘मासस्य अन्ते’)

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

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वीक्षन्ते: look at / observe
• वीक्षन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• सन्ततिम्: offspring / lineage
• सन्ततिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्तति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वकाम्: their own desired (lineage)
• स्वकाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व-का (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + का)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘स्वा कामा’ = स्वेच्छया/प्रियाम्); ‘सन्ततिम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कश्चित्: someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• अस्मत्कुले: in our family
• अस्मत्कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्-कुल (प्रातिपदिक; अस्मद् + कुल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘अस्माकं कुले’)

• अस्माकम्: of us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• प्रदास्यति: will offer / will give
• प्रदास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Implied Somnātha/Prabhāsa kṣetra as piṇḍa-pradāna-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Subtle, twilight scene: unseen Pitṛs gaze toward earth from a luminous ancestral realm at month’s end; below, a pilgrim at a river/sea-edge offers piṇḍas on darbha, with lamps flickering in wind.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Piṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One should not neglect pitṛ-kārya; ancestors depend on descendants’ offerings, especially at sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to ‘here’ within the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha-context (a Revā/Narmadā-region shrine or ghat where piṇḍa is offered).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering piṇḍa (piṇḍa-dāna/śrāddha offering) for the Pitṛs.