Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

कूपे स्नात्वा नरस्तस्यां तिलपिण्डं समाचरेत् । प्रेतानुद्दिश्य नियतं मोक्षतीर्थफलं भवेत्

Transliteration

kūpe snātvā narastasyāṃ tilapiṇḍaṃ samācaret | pretānuddiśya niyataṃ mokṣatīrthaphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

ครั้นอาบน้ำในบ่อน้ำนั้นแล้ว บุคคลพึงประกอบพิธีถวายปิณฑะงาโดยชอบธรรม อุทิศแก่ผู้ล่วงลับ; แน่นอน ผลแห่งโมกษะ-ตีรถะย่อมบังเกิดจากการนี้

Word by Word

• कूपे: in the well
• कूपे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु √स्ना)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having bathed)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्याम्: on that (day)
• तस्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; (तिथौ)

• तिलपिण्डम्: a sesame-ball offering
• तिलपिण्डम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तिलैः कृतः पिण्डः)

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर् (धातु √चर्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रेतान्: the departed spirits
• प्रेतान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• उद्दिश्य: dedicating (to them)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Purpose/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु √दिश्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) from उद्दिशति; अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः (having intended/dedicated)

• नियतम्: certainly / regularly
• नियतम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नियत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb)

• मोक्षतीर्थफलम्: the fruit of the Mokṣa-tīrtha
• मोक्षतीर्थफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षस्य तीर्थस्य फलम्)

• भवेत्: would be / should result
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु √भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣa-tīrtha (Mokṣanātha-kūpa context)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, freshly bathed, sits near the well on darbha grass, shaping sesame piṇḍas and offering them with water-libations while a priest guides the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Mokṣa-tīrtha
• kūpa
• tilapiṇḍa
• pretas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate dharma toward the departed—performed at a sanctified tīrtha—becomes a direct cause of liberative merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mokṣanātha-associated well, explicitly linked to the ‘fruit of Mokṣa-tīrtha’ through bathing and offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in the well followed by tilapiṇḍa offerings dedicated to pretas (departed).