Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

कूपे तर्प्पणकं श्राद्धं शंसंति पितरो दिवि । संतुष्टा पिंडदानेन गयायां पितरो यथा

Transliteration

kūpe tarppaṇakaṃ śrāddhaṃ śaṃsaṃti pitaro divi | saṃtuṣṭā piṃḍadānena gayāyāṃ pitaro yathā

Translation

เหล่าปิตฤในสวรรค์สรรเสริญศราทธะที่ประกอบด้วยตัรปณะ ณ บ่อน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์; ดุจดังที่ปิตฤพึงพอใจ ณ คยา ด้วยการถวายปิณฑะ

Word by Word

• कूपे: in a well
• कूपे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तर्पणकम्: tarpana-offering (libation)
• तर्पणकम्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पणक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• शंसन्ति: praise, proclaim
• शंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• संतुष्टाः: satisfied
• संतुष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संतुष्ट (कृदन्त; सम्+तुष् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• पिण्डदानेन: by offering rice-balls
• पिण्डदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य दानम्)

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

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

• यथा: as, just like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (as/just as)

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing from prior verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya Kūpa (sacred well)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims gather at a stone-lined sacred well; one performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands, another offers piṇḍas on darbha; above, Pitṛs in a subtle celestial register appear satisfied and blessing.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Pitṛs
• Gayā
• Kūpa (sacred well)
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly performed ancestral rites at an empowered tīrtha bring genuine benefit to the Pitṛs and are celebrated in the divine realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred kūpa (well) in Dharmāraṇya is praised, with Gayā cited as the archetypal pitṛ-tīrtha for comparison.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha with tarpaṇa at the kūpa, and piṇḍadāna (piṇḍa offerings) as the key act that satisfies the Pitṛs.