Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

एवं पुत्रं विना सौख्यं मर्त्यलोके न विद्यते । वंशार्थे मैथुनं यस्य स्वर्गार्थे यस्य भारती

Transliteration

evaṃ putraṃ vinā saukhyaṃ martyaloke na vidyate | vaṃśārthe maithunaṃ yasya svargārthe yasya bhāratī

Translation

وهكذا، لا سعادةَ في عالم البشر من غير ولد. فمِن الناس مَن يجعلُ الوصالَ لأجل دوام السلالة، ومِنهم مَن يجعلُ «بهاراتي» المقدّسة (التلاوةَ والدراسة) لأجل السماء.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• पुत्रम्: a son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (कर्म; with vinā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद (preposition) — द्वितीयासह (governs accusative)

• सौख्यम्: happiness
• सौख्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मर्त्यलोके: in the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोके: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष, पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• विद्यते: exists, is found
• विद्यते: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोग (existential)

• वंशार्थे: for the sake of lineage
• वंशार्थे: Hetu/Purpose (हेतु/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वंश (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष (purpose: 'for lineage'), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अर्थे = हेतु/प्रयोजनार्थे

• मैथुनम्: sexual union
• मैथुनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैथुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• स्वर्गार्थे: for the sake of heaven
• स्वर्गार्थे: Hetu/Purpose (हेतु/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष (purpose: 'for heaven'), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• भारती: speech/learning (Bhāratī)
• भारती: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (deductive; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (implicit)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grieving brāhmaṇa elder instructs or reflects: one side shows a household couple (lineage), the other a student/reciter with palm-leaf manuscript (bhāratī) under a sacred tree near a riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Martyaloka
• Vaṃśa
• Svarga
• Bhāratī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames household life in dharmic terms: progeny sustains lineage, while disciplined sacred speech and learning aim at higher merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse outlines aims (lineage and svarga) rather than procedures.