Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अथ दाहावसाने ते कृत्वा गर्तां यथोचिताम् । मुक्त्वा रामं ददुस्तोयं पितुः पुत्रास्तिलान्वितम्

Transliteration

atha dāhāvasāne te kṛtvā gartāṃ yathocitām | muktvā rāmaṃ dadustoyaṃ pituḥ putrāstilānvitam

Translation

ครั้นพิธีเผาศพสิ้นสุดลง เขาทั้งหลายได้ขุดหลุมตามสมควร; แล้วให้พระรามแยกออกไป บุตรทั้งหลายจึงถวายทักษิโณทกะเป็นน้ำผสมงาแด่บิดา

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• दाह-अवसाने: at the end of the cremation
• दाह-अवसाने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाह (प्रातिपदिक) + अवसान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; दाहस्य अवसाने (locative of time)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Converb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having done/made’

• गर्ताम्: a pit
• गर्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यथा-उचिताम्: as appropriate
• यथा-उचिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + उचित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; गर्ताम् इति विशेषण; ‘as is proper’

• मुक्त्वा: having released
• मुक्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Converb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); ‘having released/let go’

• रामम्: Rama
• रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ददुः: they gave
• ददुः: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पितुः: of (their) father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तिल-अन्वितम्: mixed with sesame
• तिल-अन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; तोयम् इति विशेषण; ‘together with sesame’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cremation ground just after the rites: sons dig a small pit, then pour water mixed with sesame for their father; Rāma is set apart, not participating, creating a tense stillness among sages and mourners.

Characters & Entities

• sons (putrāḥ)
• father (pitṛ)
• tila (sesame)
• toya (water)
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-dharma continues after cremation; offerings like tila-toya express gratitude and sustain ancestral rites in a dharmic way.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a specific tīrtha; it describes standard post-cremation pitṛ rites within the chapter’s tīrtha-oriented narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After cremation, prepare a proper gartā (pit) and offer toya (water libations) to the father, accompanied by tila (sesame seeds)—a form of pitṛ-tarpaṇa.