Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पितरस्तस्य नाश्नन्ति देवता ऋषिभिः सह । क्रियमाणेऽप्यहरहः श्राद्धे मत्पितरः सदा

Transliteration

pitarastasya nāśnanti devatā ṛṣibhiḥ saha | kriyamāṇe'pyaharahaḥ śrāddhe matpitaraḥ sadā

Translation

اُس کے پِتر بھوگ نہیں پاتے، نہ ہی رِشیوں کے ساتھ دیوتا؛ اگرچہ ہر روز شرادھ کیا جاتا ہے، میرے اپنے آباء ہمیشہ غیر سیر رہتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• pitaraḥ: the ancestors
• pitaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्तरि), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive (6th), Singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय — negative particle

• aśnanti: eat
• aśnanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (अश्, धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present Indicative, 3rd person plural

• devatāḥ: the deities
• devatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• ṛṣibhiḥ: with sages
• ṛṣibhiḥ: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha (सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (सहयोगार्थक) — indeclinable meaning 'together/with'

• kriyamāṇe: while being performed
• kriyamāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ, धातु) + śāna (शानच्, कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमान-काले कर्मणि शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Present passive participle, Locative singular

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय — particle 'even/also'

• aharahaḥ: day after day
• aharahaḥ: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar-ahar (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, अव्यय — adverbial compound meaning repetition

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• matpitaraḥ: my ancestors
• matpitaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (मद्-प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मम पितरः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Genitive tatpuruṣa, Masculine, Nominative plural

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — adverb of time

Speaker

Devapanna (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) pitṛ-tarpaṇa context (implied by Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worried king performs daily śrāddha before a sacred fire and water-vessel, yet the ancestral presence remains unseen and unsatisfied; the atmosphere is heavy, with offerings untouched in a symbolic sense.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devatās
• Ṛṣis
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links family continuity with the effective fulfillment of obligations to ancestors (pitṛ-dharma) through śrāddha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is cited in this verse; it focuses on the dharmic consequence of being without progeny.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha is explicitly mentioned as being performed repeatedly (aharahaḥ), highlighting its centrality to pitṛ obligations.