Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिवारन्तु गयायां पिंड पातने । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति सकृदस्मिञ्छ्रुते सति

Transliteration

ekaviṃśativārantu gayāyāṃ piṃḍa pātane | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti sakṛdasmiñchrute sati

Translation

Quả phúc do dâng piṇḍa tại Gayā hai mươi mốt lần, cũng đạt được chỉ nhờ nghe điều này một lần mà thôi.

Word by Word

• एकविंशतिवारम्: twenty-one times
• एकविंशतिवारम्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशति-वार (प्रातिपदिक; एकविंशतिः वाराः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (measure of repetition)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात; ‘but/indeed’

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• पिण्डपातने: in the offering of piṇḍa-balls
• पिण्डपातने: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-पातन (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्डस्य पातनम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular (in the act of offering/dropping piṇḍa)

• तत्फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-फल (प्रातिपदिक; तस्य फलम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• समवाप्नोति: attains completely
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘attains fully’

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/परिमाणार्थक-अव्यय; ‘once’

• अस्मिन्: in this (text/teaching)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular ‘in this’

• श्रुते: when it has been heard
• श्रुते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रुत (कृदन्त; श्रु धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative absolute with सति

• सति: when (it) is (the case)
• सति: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सत् (कृदन्त; अस् धातु + शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘being/when’ (locative absolute)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā (benchmark); Lohayaṣṭī/Lohāsura māhātmya (effective cause)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic scale: on one side, a pilgrim repeatedly offering piṇḍas at Gayā; on the other, a listener hearing the māhātmya once—both sides balanced, indicating equal merit.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Śravaṇa (hearing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred hearing (śravaṇa) of an authentic māhātmya can bestow pilgrimage-level merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is used as the benchmark for ancestor-rite potency; the local Dharmāraṇya tīrtha is implied as comparable through its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite—this is a phalaśruti: hearing once yields the fruit of repeated Gayā piṇḍa offerings.