Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

पितॄणां वल्लभे तीर्थे पिण्डेनैकेन तर्प्पिताः । ब्रह्मलोकं गमिष्यंति गयाश्राद्धकृतो यथा

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṃ vallabhe tīrthe piṇḍenaikena tarppitāḥ | brahmalokaṃ gamiṣyaṃti gayāśrāddhakṛto yathā

Translation

Sa tīrtha na minamahal ng mga Ninuno (Pitṛ), kapag sila’y napasiyahan kahit sa iisang handog na piṇḍa, mararating nila ang Brahmaloka, gaya ng śrāddha na ginagawa sa Gayā.

Word by Word

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), बहुवचनम्

• वल्लभे: dear/beloved
• वल्लभे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vallabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (tīrthe)

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पिण्डेन: with a piṇḍa (rice-ball offering)
• पिण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एकेन: with one (single)
• एकेन: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (piṇḍena)

• तर्पिताः: satisfied
• तर्पिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛp (धा॒तु) (तर्पयति इति causative-base)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘तर्पित’; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Brahma-loka
• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (brahmaṇaḥ lokaḥ)

• गमिष्यन्ति: will go
• गमिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धा॒तु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• गयाश्राद्धकृतः: like those who performed the Gayā śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धकृतः: Upamana/Drishtanta (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; कृत (√कृ, क्त) = done/performed; समासः: गयायां श्राद्धं कृतवन्तः (those who have performed Gayā-śrāddha)

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपमानार्थक-अव्ययम् (comparative particle: as/like)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa offers a single piṇḍa on kuśa grass near sacred waters while invoking the pitṛs; subtle vision of ancestors rising toward Brahmaloka, with the tīrtha’s sanctity radiating like a halo.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• piṇḍa
• Brahmaloka
• Gayā
• Prācīna Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is portrayed as exceptionally efficacious for pitṛ-kārya: even minimal offerings can yield lofty results when made in the right sacred setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The pitṛ-beloved tīrtha in context is Prācīna Tīrtha in Prabhāsa, compared in efficacy to Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa offering (piṇḍa-dāna/tarpaṇa) for ancestors; the verse also references the model of Gayā-śrāddha.