Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मासि चाश्वयुजे तत्र शुक्लपक्षे चतुर्दशीम् । उपोष्य प्रयतः स्नातस्तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः

Transliteration

māsi cāśvayuje tatra śuklapakṣe caturdaśīm | upoṣya prayataḥ snātastarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ

Translation

At doon, sa buwang Āśvayuja, sa ika-labing-apat na araw ng maliwanag na kalahati, matapos mag-ayuno at malinis na maligo, maghandog ng tarpaṇa sa mga Pitṛ at sa mga diyos.

Word by Word

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम् (in the month)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• आश्वयुजे: in (the month of) Āśvayuja
• आश्वयुजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्वयुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मास-नाम (in Āśvayuja)

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

• शुक्लपक्षे: in the bright fortnight
• शुक्लपक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल-पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘शुक्लः पक्षः’ (bright fortnight)

• चतुर्दशीम्: the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तिथि-नाम

• उपोष्य: having fasted
• उपोष्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-वस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); ‘उपोष्य’ = उपवासं कृत्वा (having fasted)

• प्रयतः: disciplined/pure
• प्रयतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्तरि) ‘शुद्ध/संयत’

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (कृदन्त; स्ना धातोः)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (one who has bathed)

• तर्पयेत्: should satisfy/offer (oblations)
• तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative sense in usage ‘to satisfy/offer libations’

• पितृदेवताः: the ancestral deities (pitṛs)
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘पितॄणां देवताः’ (ancestral deities)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continued context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Eraṇḍī Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on śukla caturdaśī, a fasting pilgrim stands waist-deep in the river, offering water with cupped hands; subtle presences of pitṛs and devas receive the tarpaṇa; the sage oversees the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvayuja (Āśvina)
• Pitṛs
• Devatās
• Eraṇḍī Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit increases when pilgrimage is joined with timing, purity, fasting, and offerings to ancestors and gods.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same ‘there’ context continues—Eraṇḍī Tīrtha is implied as the place of observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe a fast, bathe, and perform tarpaṇa on Āśvina (Āśvayuja) bright-fortnight Caturdaśī.