Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

इष्टकाभिस्तु यः कुर्यात्स वैकुण्ठमवाप्नुयात् । शिलाभिः कुरुते यस्तु स गच्छेद्ब्रह्मणः पदम्

Transliteration

iṣṭakābhistu yaḥ kuryātsa vaikuṇṭhamavāpnuyāt | śilābhiḥ kurute yastu sa gacchedbrahmaṇaḥ padam

Translation

Wer es mit Ziegeln errichtet, erlangt Vaikuṇṭha; wer es aber aus Stein baut, gelangt zur Wohnstatt Brahmās.

Word by Word

• इष्टकाभिः: with bricks
• इष्टकाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्टका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• कुर्यात्: should make/build
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• वैकुण्ठम्: Vaikuṇṭha (Viṣṇu’s abode)
• वैकुण्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकुण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• अवाप्नुयात्: should attain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शिलाभिः: with stones
• शिलाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण

• कुरुते: makes/builds
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

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

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman/Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• पदम्: state/abode
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Setukhaṇḍa Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātha/Rāmeśvara kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two parallel panels: one shows brick-laying for a shrine with celestial Viṣṇu-world imagery above; the other shows stone blocks being set with Brahmā’s lotus-world above—illustrating graded fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Vaikuṇṭha
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Material support for sacred worship is praised as a high merit act; the Purāṇa links degrees of offering (bricks/stone) with exalted post-mortem attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra/Rāmeśvaram in context, continuing the theme of building a shrine for Rāmanātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Temple/shrine construction using bricks (iṣṭakā) or stone (śilā), each with specified spiritual फल (result).