Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अनाशकेनाग्निगत्या जले वा देहपातनात् । तस्मिंस्तीर्थे मृतो यस्तु स याति परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

anāśakenāgnigatyā jale vā dehapātanāt | tasmiṃstīrthe mṛto yastu sa yāti paramāṃ gatim

Translation

سواءٌ بترك الطعام حتى الموت، أو بالدخول في النار، أو بإلقاء الجسد في الماء؛ فمن مات في ذلك التيرثا يبلغ المقام الأعلى.

Word by Word

• अनाशकेन: by fasting (lit. by non-eating)
• अनाशकेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनाशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental singular

• अग्निगत्या: by going into fire (immolation)
• अग्निगत्या: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: अग्नेः गतिः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental singular

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक) — disjunctive particle ‘or’

• देहपातनात्: from/through casting off the body (death)
• देहपातनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + पातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: देहस्य पातनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular (in that)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• मृतः: dead (having died)
• मृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle ‘dead’, Masculine nominative singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (correlative pronoun)

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular; qualifying ‘गतिम्’

• गतिम्: state/destination
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet riverbank at dusk; an ascetic, emaciated from fasting, sits in meditation near the water; in the distance a sacrificial fire glows; the river reflects the last light, suggesting the threshold between life and liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Paramā gati
• Fasting
• Fire
• Water

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is exalted as supremely sanctifying, promising the highest spiritual end for those who depart life there.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed ‘that tīrtha’ in this passage—within Revā Khaṇḍa’s Vimaleśvara/Puṣkariṇī pilgrimage context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It lists modes of relinquishing the body; the verse is primarily a phala-śruti about dying at the tīrtha.