Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

केशोदबिन्दवस्तस्य ये चान्ये लेपभाजिनः । तृप्यन्त्यनग्निनसंस्कारा यं मृताः स्युः स्वगोत्रजाः

Transliteration

keśodabindavastasya ye cānye lepabhājinaḥ | tṛpyantyanagninasaṃskārā yaṃ mṛtāḥ syuḥ svagotrajāḥ

Translation

اس کے بالوں سے ٹپکنے والے پانی کے قطرے اور بدن سے چمٹے ہوئے دوسرے قطرے بھی، اپنے ہی گوتر کے اُن مرحوم رشتہ داروں کو سیراب کرتے ہیں جو آگ کے سنسکار (آخری رسومات) کے بغیر چلے گئے تھے۔

Word by Word

• केशोदबिन्दवः: water-drops from the hair
• केशोदबिन्दवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक) + उद (प्रातिपदिक) + बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); केशेषु उदबिन्दवः (water-drops from hair)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• ये: which / those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लेपभाजिनः: those who partake of the smear (bath-scrapings)
• लेपभाजिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); लेपं भजन्ति/भाजिनः (those partaking of the smear/unguent)

• तृप्यन्ति: are satisfied
• तृप्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• अनग्निनसंस्काराः: those lacking fire-rites (uncremated/without agni-saṃskāra)
• अनग्निनसंस्काराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्- (नञ्) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + न (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); नञ्-समास — ‘without agni/without fire-rites’; अनग्निना (अग्निहोत्रादिरहितेन) संस्कारः येषाम्

• यम्: whom
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त, मृ-धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्युः: may be / would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• स्वगोत्रजाः: kinsmen of the same lineage
• स्वगोत्रजाः: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); स्वगोत्रे जाताः (of the same lineage)

Speaker

Narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (traditional attribution: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up emphasis: droplets from hair and water clinging to the body become luminous offerings; in the background, forlorn ancestors without fire-rites are shown being soothed and clothed in light, moving from unrest toward peace.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Snāna
• Gotra
• Antyeṣṭi (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-merit is portrayed as compassionate and far-reaching, extending even to ancestors lacking complete funeral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha, where bathing is described as uniquely potent for pitṛ-satisfaction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at the tīrtha; its water (from hair/body) is said to satisfy deceased relatives, including those without agni-saṃskāra.