Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

तस्माद्बुद्धिमुकैस्त्वतैः सात्त्विकैर्देवतां भजेत् । राजसैर्मानवत्वं च तामसैः स्थाणुयोनिता

Transliteration

tasmādbuddhimukaistvataiḥ sāttvikairdevatāṃ bhajet | rājasairmānavatvaṃ ca tāmasaiḥ sthāṇuyonitā

Translation

فلذلك، بالميول الساتّڤيّة (sāttvika) التي تقودها بصيرةٌ مستيقظة، يعبد المرءُ الآلهةَ فينال مقامَ الدِّيوات؛ وبالميول الراجسيّة (rājasa) ينال ولادةً إنسانيّة؛ وبالميول التامسيّة (tāmasa) يسقط في يوني الكائنات الساكنة غير المتحرّكة (sthāṇu).

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; हेत्वर्थे—‘अतः’

• बुद्धिमुकैः: by the intellect-guided (wise)
• बुद्धिमुकैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि + मुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—बुद्धेः मुकः/मुखः (पाठभेद-संभवः; ‘buddhi-mukha’ = guided by intellect)

• त्वतैः: by those (reading uncertain)
• त्वतैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वत (प्रातिपदिक; अनिश्चित-पाठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पाठदोष/संदिग्ध-रूपम् (संभाव्यः—‘व्रतैः’/‘यतैः’ इत्यादि)

• सात्त्विकैः: by sattvic (ones)
• सात्त्विकैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सात्त्विक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (बुद्धिमुकैः/त्वतैः)

• देवताम्: divinity, deity-state
• देवताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भजेत्: should attain/partake in, should worship
• भजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातुः—भज्

• राजसैः: by rajasic (ones)
• राजसैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (करणे)

• मानवत्वम्: human state
• मानवत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानवत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तामसैः: by tamasic (ones)
• तामसैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (करणे)

• स्थाणुयोनिता: birth as a stationary being (plant etc.)
• स्थाणुयोनिता: Karma (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु + योनि + ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—स्थाणोः योनिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + ता (भावप्रत्यय)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vertical cosmological chart: at top devas in luminous realm; middle humans in earthly scene; bottom immobile beings as trees/rocks; a traveler’s path rises with white light (sattva) and sinks with dark weight (tamas).

Characters & Entities

• Devatā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner qualities shape destiny: sattva elevates, rajas keeps one in human striving, and tamas drags consciousness toward inert or lower states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is mentioned; the teaching is philosophical (guṇa-based cosmology) rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; the implied practice is cultivation of sattva through disciplined, dhārmic living.