Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

पिंडतारकमित्येतत्प्राचीनं तीर्थमुत्तमम् । कुम्भकुक्षिगिरिस्थं तत्पित्र्ये कर्मणि सिद्धिदम्

Transliteration

piṃḍatārakamityetatprācīnaṃ tīrthamuttamam | kumbhakukṣigiristhaṃ tatpitrye karmaṇi siddhidam

Translation

Ang pinakadakila at sinaunang tīrtha na ito ay tinatawag na Piṇḍatāraka. Nasa Bundok Kumbhakukṣi, at nagbibigay ito ng katuparan sa mga ritwal para sa mga ninuno (pitṛ-karman), lalo na sa pag-aalay ng piṇḍa.

Word by Word

• piṃḍa-tārakam: (the tīrtha called) “Piṇḍatāraka”
• piṃḍa-tārakam: Karta (Predicate name/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + tāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (piṃḍasya tārakam / piṃḍaṃ tārakam—contextual); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/इति-निपात)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prācīnam: ancient
• prācīnam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prācīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• tīrtham: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent, best
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• kumbha-kukṣi-giri-stham: situated on (the) Kumbhakukṣi mountain
• kumbha-kukṣi-giri-stham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kumbha (प्रातिपदिक) + kukṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + giri (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √sthā)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (स्थाने/अधिकरणे) — 'situated on/at Kumbhakukṣi mountain'; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• tat: that (tīrtha)
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेत

• pitrye: in ancestral (rites)
• pitrye: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण — 'in/with regard to ancestral (rites)'

• karmaṇi: in the rite/action
• karmaṇi: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• siddhi-dam: granting success/fulfilment
• siddhi-dam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + da (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √dā)
• Form: समास: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सिद्धिं ददाति); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piṇḍatāraka

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hill-tīrtha with a small water-body or sacred spot where pilgrims offer piṇḍas and tarpaṇa; priests guide rites; the atmosphere is solemn, compassionate, and ancestral.

Characters & Entities

• Piṇḍatāraka Tīrtha
• Kumbhakukṣi-giri
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to one’s ancestors through dharmic rites, when done at a praised tīrtha, becomes especially fruitful and purifying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Piṇḍatāraka Tīrtha, located on Kumbhakukṣi-giri within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-karman—ancestral rites such as śrāddha and piṇḍa-offerings—are indicated as attaining siddhi here.