Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

कुलानि प्रेतभूतानि सर्वाण्यपि हि तारयेत् । द्विजदेवप्रसादेन पितॄणां च प्रसादतः

Transliteration

kulāni pretabhūtāni sarvāṇyapi hi tārayet | dvijadevaprasādena pitṝṇāṃ ca prasādataḥ

Translation

เขาย่อมช่วยให้พ้นแม้ตระกูลทั้งหลายที่ตกอยู่ในภาวะเปรตภูต ทั้งนี้สำเร็จด้วยพระกรุณาของทวิชะผู้เป็นดุจเทพบนแผ่นดิน และด้วยความพอพระทัยของเหล่าปิตฤ

Word by Word

• कुलानि: families/lineages
• कुलानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), बहुवचन

• प्रेतभूतानि: become as pretas/ghosts
• प्रेतभूतानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of kulāni/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेत + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: 'प्रेतानि (इव) भूतानि' / 'preta-bhūta (ghost-like)'

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• तारयेत्: should deliver/save
• तारयेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तॄ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense in usage

• द्विजदेवप्रसादेन: by the grace of brāhmaṇas and gods
• द्विजदेवप्रसादेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + देव + प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (instrumental), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'द्विजानां देवानां च प्रसादः' (by the grace of brāhmaṇas and gods)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रसादतः: through (their) favor
• प्रसादतः: Hetu (Cause/source/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): 'प्रसादात्' = from/through favor

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda/Revā pañca-sthāna context

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha scene at the riverbank: brāhmaṇas bless the devotee; in the background, dark, restless preta-forms dissolve into luminous ancestor forms ascending, indicating transformation through ritual grace.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Brāhmaṇas (dvija-deva)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rituals done with reverence to brāhmaṇas and ancestors can heal even severe post-death conditions and uplift the whole lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda-tīrtha, within whose māhātmya these strong claims of preta-upliftment are made.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha-related acts emphasizing brāhmaṇa honor (dvija-prasāda) and pitṛ-satisfaction (pitṛ-prasāda).