Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

ददाति यः पितृभ्यस्तु तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम् । त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजास्तस्य स्वर्गे मोदन्ति पाण्डव

Transliteration

dadāti yaḥ pitṛbhyastu tilapuṣpakuśodakam | triḥsaptapūrvajāstasya svarge modanti pāṇḍava

Translation

اے پاندَو! جو پِتروں کو تل، پھول، کُشا گھاس اور پانی نذر کرے، اس کے تین بار سات پشتوں کے اجداد سَورگ میں مسرور ہوتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (3rd person singular present)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun; masc., nominative singular)

• पितृभ्यः: to the ancestors
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc., dative plural)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Emphasis/Contrast (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वर्थक निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम्: water with sesame, flowers, and kuśa grass (offering)
• तिलपुष्पकुशोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल + पुष्प + कुश + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (तिलानि पुष्पाणि कुशाः उदकम् च—समाहारः) (neuter, accusative singular)

• त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजाः: the twenty-one forefathers
• त्रिःसप्तपूर्वजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिःसप्त + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रिःसप्त = 21; तद्विशिष्टाः पूर्वजाः) (masc., nominative plural)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., locative singular)

• मोदन्ति: rejoice
• मोदन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद (3rd person plural present)

• पाण्डव: O Pāṇḍava
• पाण्डव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as Pāṇḍava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tarpaṇa-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim on a riverbank seated on kuśa, offering water mixed with sesame, flowers floating, hands in tarpaṇa gesture; subtle vision of ancestors rejoicing in svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes gratitude to lineage: offerings to the Pitṛs uplift not only the performer but also many generations of ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context is the Narmadeśvara/Narmadā tīrtha setting in Revā Khaṇḍa, where Pitṛ-offerings are said to be especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa/offerings using tila (sesame), puṣpa (flowers), kuśa, and udaka (water).