Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 160

Devanagari script

वागुवाच । राजन्समं ततो लोके फलं भवति साम्प्रतम् । संसारसागरे ह्यत्र पतितानां दुरात्मनाम्

Transliteration

vāguvāca | rājansamaṃ tato loke phalaṃ bhavati sāmpratam | saṃsārasāgare hyatra patitānāṃ durātmanām

Translation

قال الصوت: «أيها الملك، الآن يظهر في العالم ثوابٌ مماثل لذلك الفعل، لأولئك الساقطين هنا في محيط السَّمسارة، ذوي النفوس المضطربة».

Word by Word

• vāk: Vāk (a personified voice/speaker)
• vāk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• samaṃ: equally
• samaṃ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially: 'equally')

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/from that')

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• phalaṃ: result/fruit
• phalaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhavati: becomes/is
• bhavati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• sāmpratam: now/at present
• sāmpratam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāmprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• saṃsāra-sāgare: in the ocean of worldly existence
• saṃsāra-sāgare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative: 'of saṃsāra' + 'ocean')

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निपात (particle of emphasis/indeed)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• patitānām: of the fallen (ones)
• patitānām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patita (कृदन्त; √pat धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• durātmanām: of evil-souled persons
• durātmanām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारयः (dur- + ātman: 'evil-souled')

Speaker

Divya-vāṇī (heavenly voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disembodied ‘Vāk’ addresses a king on the riverbank; the river is shown as a vast ocean-like current symbolizing saṃsāra, with shadowy figures being lifted toward light by the tīrtha’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• King
• Saṃsāra-sāgara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes that meritorious acts yield fitting results and can uplift even those sunk in saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa framework implies the Revā/Narmadā sacred region, though the verse speaks generally of the fruit of the act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It functions as phala-śruti (fruit statement) rather than prescribing a new ritual.