Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 155

Devanagari script

एकत्रिंशद्गणा येषां पितॄणां प्रबला नृप । कृतं च तदिदं श्राद्धं तर्पयेत्तान्परान्पितॄन्

Transliteration

ekatriṃśadgaṇā yeṣāṃ pitṝṇāṃ prabalā nṛpa | kṛtaṃ ca tadidaṃ śrāddhaṃ tarpayettānparānpitṝn

Translation

大王啊，那些祖灵（Pitṛ）之众共有三十一部，威力强盛。此处所行的施祖祭（Śrāddha），当使那至上的先祖得以饱足、欢悦。

Word by Word

• एकत्रिंशत्-गणाः: groups numbering thirty-one
• एकत्रिंशत्-गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकत्रिंशत् (संख्या) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (एकत्रिंशत् गणाः)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पितॄणाम्: of the Pitṛs
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• प्रबलाः: powerful
• प्रबलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कृतम्: done, performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदं (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तर्पयेत्: should satisfy (offer libations to)
• तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• परान्: supreme, exalted
• परान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• पितॄन्: the Pitṛs
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Mahākāla

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual scene where thirty-one pitṛ-gaṇas are symbolically represented as a vast assembly of ancestral lights; the performer offers piṇḍa and tarpaṇa, and the ‘para pitṛs’ receive with solemn power.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Thirty-one gaṇas (ekatriṃśadgaṇāḥ)
• Śrāddha
• King (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is portrayed as a potent rite that reaches powerful ancestral collectives when done with correct intention and method.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Śrāddha so as to tarpayet (satiate) the parāḥ pitaraḥ, the higher ancestral orders.