Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तेन पिण्डप्रदानेन नृत्यन्ति पितरस्तथा । शङ्खोद्धारे नरः स्नात्वा पूजयेद्बलकेशवौ

Transliteration

tena piṇḍapradānena nṛtyanti pitarastathā | śaṅkhoddhāre naraḥ snātvā pūjayedbalakeśavau

Translation

ด้วยการถวายปิณฑะนั้น บรรพชนยินดีดุจร่ายรำ ครั้นอาบน้ำชำระที่ศังกโขทฺธารแล้ว พึงบูชาพระบาละและพระเกศวะ

Word by Word

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम् (Instrumental singular of pronoun)

• पिण्ड-प्रदानेन: by the offering of rice-balls (piṇḍa)
• पिण्ड-प्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्)

• नृत्यन्ति: dance
• नृत्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचनम्

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• शङ्ख-उद्धारे: at Śaṅkhoddhāra (the place/ford)
• शङ्ख-उद्धारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्धार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शङ्खस्य उद्धारः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• बल-केशवौ: Bala and Keśava (Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa)
• बल-केशवौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), द्विवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhoddhāra

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a river-ford offers rice-balls (piṇḍas) on kuśa grass; subtle ancestral figures rejoice; after snāna he worships Bala and Keśava on a small riverside altar.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Piṇḍa
• Śaṅkhoddhāra
• Bala
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites for ancestors are not merely formal—they are portrayed as truly nourishing and joy-giving, especially when completed with Viṣṇu-worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhoddhāra-tīrtha, where piṇḍa-offering and subsequent worship are especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer piṇḍas for the Pitṛs; bathe at Śaṅkhoddhāra; then worship Bala and Keśava.