Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थश्च वानप्रस्थो यतिस्तथा । स्वधर्मनिरताः सर्वे वाञ्छन्तः परमं पदम्

Transliteration

brahmacārī gṛhasthaśca vānaprastho yatistathā | svadharmaniratāḥ sarve vāñchantaḥ paramaṃ padam

Translation

Ob Brahmacārin, Hausvater, Waldbewohner oder entsagender Yati — alle, dem eigenen Dharma hingegeben, erstreben den höchsten Stand.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचारी: a celibate student (brahmacārin)
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; आश्रमविशेषः (one of the āśramas)

• गृहस्थः: householder
• गृहस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• वानप्रस्थः: forest-dweller (vānaprastha)
• वानप्रस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यतिः: renunciant, ascetic
• यतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya (Conjunctive adverb/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable: 'also/likewise')

• स्वधर्मनिरताः: devoted to their own duties
• स्वधर्मनिरताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + धर्म + निरत (नि + रम् धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP/क्त) 'निरत'—'engaged'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying सर्वे)

• सर्वे: all (of them)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्ता (subject of वाञ्छन्तः)

• वाञ्छन्तः: desiring
• वाञ्छन्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वाञ्छ् (धातु) + शतृ (प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying पदम्)

• पदम्: state, abode, goal
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (object of वाञ्छन्तः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, unspecified in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fourfold tableau: brahmacārin with staff and manuscripts; gṛhastha offering hospitality; vānaprastha in forest austerity; yati in deep meditation—each facing toward a symbolic ‘supreme state’ (radiant summit/light).

Characters & Entities

• Brahmacarya
• Gṛhastha
• Vānaprastha
• Yati
• Svadharma
• Parama Pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is approached through sincere adherence to svadharma in any āśrama, not by abandoning duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the sanctity of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s hermitage culture—where all four āśramas flourish in a sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual is specified; the ‘prescription’ is steadfastness in one’s āśrama-dharma.