Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र विधिवत्प्राणांस्त्यजते नृपसत्तम । स गच्छेत्परमं स्थानं यत्र देवो दिवाकरः

Transliteration

yastatra vidhivatprāṇāṃstyajate nṛpasattama | sa gacchetparamaṃ sthānaṃ yatra devo divākaraḥ

Translation

O Bester der Könige, wer dort nach vorgeschriebener Weise das Leben hingibt, gelangt zur höchsten Stätte, wo der göttliche Sonnengott weilt.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• विधिवत्: properly
• विधिवत्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: according to rule)

• प्राणान्: life-breaths/life
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• त्यजते: gives up/abandons
• त्यजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपाणां सत्तमः = ‘best of kings’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गच्छेत्: would go/attain
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘स्थानम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स्थानम्: abode/place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धवाचक देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: where)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दिवाकरः: Divākara (the Sun)
• दिवाकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘देवः’ इति समानाधिकरण (apposition)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic speaker within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa-sattama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An elderly devotee lies on a kusa mat by the riverbank, facing the rising sun; attendants hold a water pot for final arghya; above, a radiant solar realm opens like a golden gateway, indicating ‘parama sthāna’.

Characters & Entities

• Divākara
• Nṛpasattama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa exalts sacred geography: the final moment, aligned with dharma and tīrtha, is portrayed as leading to the highest destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha described in Adhyāya 59, presented as granting access to Divākara’s supreme realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

“Vidhivat” (according to prescribed dharma) relinquishing of life at the tīrtha—presented as spiritually transformative.