Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेत वसुंधराम् । स विष्ठायां कृमिर्भूत्वा पितृभिः सह मज्जति

Transliteration

svadattāṃ paradattāṃ vā yo hareta vasuṃdharām | sa viṣṭhāyāṃ kṛmirbhūtvā pitṛbhiḥ saha majjati

Translation

Wer Land an sich reißt, sei es von ihm selbst oder von einem anderen geschenkt, wird zum Wurm im Unrat und versinkt dort mit seinen Ahnen.

Word by Word

• sva-dattām: (land) given by oneself
• sva-dattām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (स्व) + datta (दा धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (स्वेन दत्ताम्)

• para-dattām: (land) given by another
• para-dattām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (पर) + datta (दा धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (परेण दत्ताम्)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• haret: would take away / steal
• haret: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vasuṃdharām: the earth/land
• vasuṃdharām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasuṃdharā (वसुंधरा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• viṣṭhāyām: in excrement
• viṣṭhāyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṭhā (विष्ठा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• kṛmiḥ: a worm
• kṛmiḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (कृमि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having become

• pitṛbhiḥ: with the ancestors
• pitṛbhiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (पितृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/सह-करण), बहुवचन

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक अव्यय (postposition-like: with)

• majjati: sinks / is immersed
• majjati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: majj (मज्ज् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Purāṇic framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A land-seizer is shown falling into a filthy pit, reborn as a worm; shadowy ancestors appear, dragged down by association, emphasizing pitṛ-implication.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Taking back or stealing land, especially donated land, is a severe adharma that brings ruin to oneself and one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to Revākhaṇḍa (the sacred Revā/Narmadā region), but the verse itself is a dharma-warning rather than a tirtha-praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a prohibition against land-seizure and a statement of its karmic consequence.