Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कोटिवर्षसहस्राणि रुद्रलोके महीयते । ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणकर्मा दिवश्च्युतः

Transliteration

koṭivarṣasahasrāṇi rudraloke mahīyate | tataḥ svargātparibhraṣṭaḥ kṣīṇakarmā divaścyutaḥ

Translation

يُكرَّم في عالم رودرا آلافَ الكرورات من السنين؛ ثم إذا نَفِدَتْ حسناته سقط من السماء—وقد استُنفِدَ رصيدُه الكَرْمي، فانحدر من المقام السماوي.

Word by Word

• koṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: for thousands of crores of years
• koṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कालपरिमाण; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कोटि-वर্ষाणां सहस्राणि)

• rudra-loke: in Rudra’s world
• rudra-loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• mahīyate: is honored
• mahīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mah (मह् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग

• tataḥ: thereafter/from there
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (ablatival adverb: thereafter/from there)

• svargāt: from heaven
• svargāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• paribhraṣṭaḥ: fallen down
• paribhraṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paribhraṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, pari-√bhraṃś/भ्रंश् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकालिक कृदन्त (past participle)

• kṣīṇa-karmā: whose merit is exhausted
• kṣīṇa-karmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣīṇa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √kṣi धातु) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—क्षीणं कर्म यस्य

• divaḥ: of heaven
• divaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘द्युलोकस्य’ इत्यर्थे

• cyutaḥ: departed/fallen
• cyutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cyuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √cyu धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकालिक कृदन्त

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Āvantya Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra/tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand vision of Rudraloka where the devotee is honored for immeasurable years, followed by a gentle but poignant descent as the merit wanes—illustrating impermanence of celestial reward.

Characters & Entities

• Rudraloka
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted heavenly rewards are time-bound; when merit is spent, one returns—hence seek higher, lasting spiritual aim beyond svarga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage praises a Revākhaṇḍa tīrtha’s fruits; this verse situates those fruits within the broader Purāṇic map of Rudra-loka and svarga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is stated here; it explains the cosmological consequence (long honor in Rudra-loka, then return when merit ends).