Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

ते शास्त्राणि विचार्याथ ऋषयश्च परस्परम् । आहूय यमदूतांस्तानूचुर्ब्राह्मणपुंगवाः

Transliteration

te śāstrāṇi vicāryātha ṛṣayaśca parasparam | āhūya yamadūtāṃstānūcurbrāhmaṇapuṃgavāḥ

Translation

Darauf erwogen die Rishis untereinander die Śāstras; jene erhabensten Brahmanen riefen die Boten Yamas herbei und sprachen zu ihnen.

Word by Word

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘they’

• śāstrāṇi: the scriptures
• śāstrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (शास्त्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — ‘treatises/scriptures’

• vicārya: having considered
• vicārya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-√car (चर् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय — ‘having deliberated/considered’

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conj./sequence marker) — ‘then/thereupon’

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (ऋषि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘sages’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction) — ‘and’

• parasparam: mutually
• parasparam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (परस्पर प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय (reciprocal adverb) — ‘mutually/among themselves’

• āhūya: having summoned
• āhūya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√hū (हू धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय — ‘having summoned’

• yama-dūtān: Yama’s messengers
• yama-dūtān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (यम) + dūta (दूत)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (yamasya dūtāḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — ‘Yama’s messengers’

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — ‘them’

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘said’

• brāhmaṇa-puṃgavāḥ: the foremost Brahmins
• brāhmaṇa-puṃgavāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (ब्राह्मण) + puṃgava (पुंगव)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brāhmaṇānāṃ puṃgavāḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘bulls among Brahmins’ (eminent Brahmins)

Speaker

Narrative voice (about the sages’ action)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages consult palm-leaf manuscripts, conferring quietly; then they formally summon Yama’s messengers to deliver a verdict grounded in scripture.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Yamadūtas
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic decisions should be grounded in śāstra and careful deliberation, not impulse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā (Narmadā) tradition, but this verse itself highlights scriptural procedure rather than a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes summoning Yama’s messengers after scriptural consultation.