Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ददाति पितृ पिंडेषु तुलसीकाष्ठचन्दनम् । पितॄणां जायते तृप्तिर्गयाश्राद्धेन वै तथा

Transliteration

dadāti pitṛ piṃḍeṣu tulasīkāṣṭhacandanam | pitṝṇāṃ jāyate tṛptirgayāśrāddhena vai tathā

Translation

หากวางจันทน์จากไม้ทุลสีลงบนปิณฑะที่ถวายแก่บรรพชนแล้ว เหล่าปิตฤย่อมอิ่มเอมเสมอด้วยการทำศราทธะ ณ คยา

Word by Word

• ददाति: gives; offers
• ददाति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पितृ: of the ancestor (pitṛ)
• पितृ: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (ऋ-प्रातिपदिक; 'of the father/ancestor'); पाठे 'पितृ' इति रूपं षष्ठ्यर्थे प्रयुक्तम्

• पिंडेषु: in/among the piṇḍa offerings
• पिंडेषु: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• तुलसीकाष्ठचन्दनम्: sandalwood (paste) from tulasī-wood
• तुलसीकाष्ठचन्दनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक) + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तुलसी-काष्ठसम्भवं चन्दनम्—elliptic)

• पितṝणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितṝणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• जायते: arises; occurs
• जायते: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तृप्तिः: satisfaction
• तृप्तिः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• गयाश्राद्धेन: by the Gayā-śrāddha rite
• गयाश्राद्धेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (गयायां श्राद्धम्)

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• तथा: likewise; in the same way
• तथा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

Speaker

Deductive: narrative voice of the Dvārakā Māhātmya (commonly Sūta relating the māhātmya to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (with explicit comparison to Gayā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder performs śrāddha: piṇḍas arranged on darbha, a tulasī-wood sandal paste mark placed atop each; subtle imagery of satisfied ancestors receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Piṇḍa
• Tulasī
• Candana
• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Connecting Pitṛ-rites with Viṣṇu-associated sanctity (tulasī) is said to elevate śrāddha to the highest benchmark exemplified by Gayā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the contextual setting, while Gayā is referenced as the famed tirtha-standard for śrāddha efficacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Apply or offer tulasī-wood candana in the pitṛ-piṇḍa offerings during śrāddha.