Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । अमावास्यादिने प्राप्ते तत्र कन्यागते रवौ । यः श्राद्धं कुरुते भक्त्या स पितॄंस्तारयेन्निजान्

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | amāvāsyādine prāpte tatra kanyāgate ravau | yaḥ śrāddhaṃ kurute bhaktyā sa pitṝṃstārayennijān

Translation

วิศวามิตรกล่าวว่า: “เมื่อถึงวันอมาวาสยา และพระอาทิตย์สถิตในราศีกันยา (กันย์), ผู้ใดประกอบศราทธะ ณ ที่นั้นด้วยภักติ ย่อมยังบรรพชนของตนให้ข้ามพ้นได้”

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अमावास्या-दिने: on the new-moon day
• अमावास्या-दिने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); अमावास्यायाः दिनम् (Genitive-tatpuruṣa)

• प्राप्ते: when (it is) arrived/occurred
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); (सति-सप्तमी)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• कन्या-गते: when (the sun is) in Virgo (Kanyā)
• कन्या-गते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); कन्यायां गतः (Locative-tatpuruṣa)

• रवौ: in the Sun (i.e., when the Sun is...)
• रवौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative pronoun)

• पितॄन्: ancestors/fathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तारयेत्: would deliver/cause to cross
• तारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• निजान्: one's own
• निजान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifier) पितॄन्

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra instructs pilgrims at a sacred ford: amāvāsyā twilight, offerings of piṇḍa and tila-jala, a small altar with darbha, and a line of ancestors envisioned receiving the oblations.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Amāvāsyā
• Kanyā-rāśi (Virgo)
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional śrāddha performed at the right time and place is portrayed as a powerful act of filial dharma that benefits one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The previously mentioned tīrtha (Gayākūpī context), where śrāddha on Amāvāsyā during Kanyā-gata Ravi is especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha there on Amāvāsyā when the Sun is in Virgo (Kanyā), with bhakti, for pitṛ-deliverance.