Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । विधानं च यमांश्चैव नियमांश्च वदस्व मे । प्रायश्चित्तार्थगमने को विधिस्तं वदस्व मे

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | vidhānaṃ ca yamāṃścaiva niyamāṃśca vadasva me | prāyaścittārthagamane ko vidhistaṃ vadasva me

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: Sage mir die rechte Vorgehensweise, ebenso die Yamas und die Niyamas. Für das Aufbrechen mit dem Ziel der Sühne (prāyaścitta) — welche Vorschrift gilt? Bitte erkläre mir das.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• विधानम्: procedure/ordinance
• विधानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

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

• यमान्: restraints (yamas)
• यमान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• नियमान्: observances (niyamas)
• नियमान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

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

• वदस्व: tell (me)
• वदस्व: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-रूप (enclitic), एकवचन; here सम्प्रदान (to me)

• प्रायश्चित्तार्थगमने: in going for expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तार्थगमने: Adhikarana (Locus/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + गमन (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; ‘in the going for the sake of expiation’

• कः: what/which
• कः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• विधिः: rule/procedure
• विधिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• वदस्व: tell
• वदस्व: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-रूप (enclitic), एकवचन; here सम्प्रदान (to me)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (as respondent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, asks a sage for rules; behind them symbolic icons of yama-niyama: a water pot (śauca), rosary (japa), scales (satya/ṛju), and a restrained posture (brahmacarya).

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True expiation is not random; it must be guided by dharma—discipline (yama-niyama) and proper scriptural procedure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the question concerns the correct method of undertaking prāyaścitta-associated travel in the Revā context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse requests instruction on vidhāna (procedure) along with yamas and niyamas as prerequisites for prāyaścitta-yātrā.