Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

पितरः सर्वलोकेषु तिथिकालेषु देवताः । सर्वे पुरुषमायांति निपानमिव धेनवः

Transliteration

pitaraḥ sarvalokeṣu tithikāleṣu devatāḥ | sarve puruṣamāyāṃti nipānamiva dhenavaḥ

Translation

ในทุกโลก เมื่อถึงกาลติติ ปิตฤทั้งหลายเป็นดุจเทวะ; ท่านทั้งปวงย่อมมาหามนุษย์ ดุจโคทั้งหลายรวมกัน ณ ที่ดื่มน้ำ

Word by Word

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सर्वलोकेषु: in all worlds
• सर्वलोकेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-लोक (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सर्वे लोका:)

• तिथिकालेषु: at the times of lunar days (tithis)
• तिथिकालेषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि-काल (प्रातिपदिक; तिथि + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तिथेः कालः)

• देवताः: (as) deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पितरः इति समानाधिकरण

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पितरः इति विशेषणम्

• पुरुषम्: to a man/person
• पुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; आयान्ति इति कर्म

• आयान्ति: come
• आयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; उपसर्गः—आ

• निपानम्: a watering-place
• निपानम्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; उपमान (object of comparison)

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक (comparative particle)

• धेनवः: cows
• धेनवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; उपमेय (subject of comparison)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the correct tithi, subtle ancestral figures converge toward the performer, likened to cows moving toward a watering trough; the ‘nipāna’ (watering place) is symbolized by a shining vessel of water used for tarpaṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Tithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tithi-observance matters: on proper dates, the Pitṛs are present and receptive, like beings naturally drawn to nourishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is embedded in Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s māhātmya, reinforcing its ritual potency for pitṛ rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pitṛ offerings aligned with tithi-kāla (proper lunar dates) so the rite meets its intended recipients.