Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

पुण्यकर्मा सौम्यरूपं धर्मराजं तदा किल । मनुष्या एव गच्छंति यमलोकेन चापरे

Transliteration

puṇyakarmā saumyarūpaṃ dharmarājaṃ tadā kila | manuṣyā eva gacchaṃti yamalokena cāpare

Translation

وأمّا صاحبُ العملِ الصالح، ففي ذلك الحين حقّاً يقتربُ من «دهرماراجا» في صورته اللطيفة؛ وتمرّ كائناتٌ أخرى أيضاً في طريقِ عالمِ يَما—حقّاً بوصفها أرواحاً بشرية.

Word by Word

• puṇya-karmā: one whose deeds are meritorious
• puṇya-karmā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya karma puṇyam saḥ)

• saumya-rūpam: of gentle/pleasant form
• saumya-rūpam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saumya (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः; विशेषणम् (dharmarājam)

• dharma-rājam: Dharmarāja (Yama as king of dharma)
• dharma-rājam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dharmasya rājā)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb): 'then'

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha/Prayojaka-nipāta (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle) — emphasis/hearsay

• manuṣyāḥ: people, humans
• manuṣyāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• eva: only, indeed
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle)

• gacchanti: go
• gacchanti: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• yama-lokena: through Yama’s world (Yamaloka)
• yama-lokena: Karaṇa/Patha (Means/route)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yamasya lokaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• apare: others
• apare: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a sage/audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmarāja appears in a gentle, auspicious form to a meritorious soul; the court is orderly, luminous, and calm, contrasting with the sinner’s terror.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja
• Yama
• Yamaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

For the righteous, divine judgment is not भय (terror) but order and protection; puṇya transforms one’s experience of the same realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No earthly tīrtha is specified; the verse contrasts the sinner’s fear with the righteous person’s calm meeting with Dharmarāja.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is named; the prescription is broad: cultivate puṇya through dharmic action.