Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तेषां मतमनादृत्य यदि वर्तेत कामतः । स मृतो जायते श्वा वै गतिरूर्ध्वा न विद्यते

Transliteration

teṣāṃ matamanādṛtya yadi varteta kāmataḥ | sa mṛto jāyate śvā vai gatirūrdhvā na vidyate

Translation

فإنْ أعرض المرء عن قاعدتهم المقرَّرة وسلك وفق الهوى وحده، فإنه بعد الموت يولد حقًّا كلبًا؛ ولا تكون له سُبُلُ العروج إلى العوالم العليا.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• मतम्: opinion, counsel
• मतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mata (प्रातिपदिक; √man ‘to think’ से निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनादृत्य: having disregarded
• अनादृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: an-ā-√dṛ (दृ/दर् धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-सम)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (ल्यप्/gerund), ‘disregarding’

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• वर्तेत: should act/behave
• वर्तेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कामतः: according to desire, at will
• कामतः: Hetu (Cause/Motive/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = ‘from desire/at will’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक; √mṛ ‘to die’ से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्तान्त-विशेषण

• जायते: is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• श्वा: a dog
• श्वा: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-सामानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘श्वन्’ शब्दस्य प्रथमा-एकवचन रूपम्

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• गतिः: course/destination
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ऊर्ध्वा: upward, higher
• ऊर्ध्वा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘गति’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद् धातु; ‘to be/know’)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे प्रयोगः ‘exists’

Speaker

Unknown (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely a Purāṇic teacher addressing a listener within the Revā-māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-māhātmya setting

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral allegory: a person turning away from elders/śāstra, pulled by desire; shadowy imagery of post-mortem fall into animal birth, contrasted with a faint upward path denied.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-willed action driven by desire, when opposed to dharma, is said to lead to spiritual decline and painful karmic results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in the verse; it is a general karmic warning within the Revā Khaṇḍa discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a warning about conduct and its post-death consequences.