Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

द्विजेन पिण्डं दत्तं चेत्सर्वपापविमोचितः । स्वर्गस्थो मुक्तिमायाति नरकस्थो दिवं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

dvijena piṇḍaṃ dattaṃ cetsarvapāpavimocitaḥ | svargastho muktimāyāti narakastho divaṃ vrajet

Translation

หากทวิชะ (พราหมณ์) ถวายปิณฑะแล้ว ผู้รับอานิสงส์ย่อมพ้นบาปทั้งปวง; ผู้ที่อยู่สวรรค์ย่อมถึงโมกษะ และผู้ที่อยู่ในนรกย่อมไปสู่แดนทิพย์

Word by Word

• द्विजेन: by a twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• द्विजेन: Karta (Agent-in-instrumental/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• पिण्डम्: a piṇḍa (offering)
• पिण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘पिण्डम्’ इति विशेष्यसामानाधिकरण्य

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तसूचक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• सर्वपापविमोचितः: freed from all sins
• सर्वपापविमोचितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोचित (वि + मुच् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (अन्तर्भूतः ‘नरः/सः’); तत्पुरुषः (सर्वपापैः विमोचितः = freed from all sins)

• स्वर्गस्थः: being in heaven
• स्वर्गस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (स्था धातु, क्त/प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गे स्थितः)

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• आयाति: attains
• आयाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• नरकस्थः: being in hell
• नरकस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (स्था धातु, क्त/प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (नरके स्थितः)

• दिवम्: heaven
• दिवम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (दिवम् = स्वर्गम्)

• व्रजेत्: would go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa seated on kuśa mat offers a piṇḍa; above, two vignettes: a soul rising from a dark naraka realm toward a bright celestial city, and another soul in svarga moving toward a luminous liberation-gate.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)
• Pitṛs
• Svarga
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites performed according to dharma—especially ancestral offerings—are portrayed as spiritually transformative across realms of afterlife.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu tīrtha (Rāma-setu) in Setukhaṇḍa, within the context of praising piṇḍa-dāna there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-dāna performed by a dvija (brāhmaṇa) for the intended departed/ancestor.