Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

सर्वहिंसानिवृत्तस्तु लभते फलमुत्तमम् । एवं धर्मसमाचारो यस्तु प्राणान्परित्यजेत्

Transliteration

sarvahiṃsānivṛttastu labhate phalamuttamam | evaṃ dharmasamācāro yastu prāṇānparityajet

Translation

But one who has turned away from all violence attains the highest fruit. And whoever, living by such dharma, relinquishes his life—

Word by Word

• सर्वहिंसानिवृत्तः: one who has refrained from all violence
• सर्वहिंसानिवृत्तः: Karta-visheshana (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-हिंसा-निवृत्त (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + हिंसा + निवृत्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त) 'निवृत्त'; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma-visheshana (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying 'फलम्')

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/निगमनवाचक (thus; in this way)

• धर्मसमाचारः: practice/observance of dharma
• धर्मसमाचारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-समाचार (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + समाचार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थक (particle)

• प्राणान्: life-breaths, life
• प्राणान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• परित्यजेत्: should abandon, would give up
• परित्यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa voice) addressing a Pāṇḍava interlocutor (likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (ethical culmination)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene ascetic/pilgrim gently protecting animals near the riverbank, refusing harm; the scene shifts to a calm deathbed moment with dharma symbols (staff, water-pot) indicating righteous passing.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Ahiṃsā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Non-violence is elevated as a decisive purifier; dharmic living culminating in a righteous death yields the supreme result.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement continues the Revā-khaṇḍa tīrtha māhātmya context, though the verse itself is a general dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ahiṃsā (complete abstention from harm) and sustained dharma-conduct are prescribed as the core discipline.