Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

चंडालः श्वपचो वाऽपि तिर्यग्योनिगतस्तथा । तस्मिंस्तीर्थे मृतः सम्यगाच्युतं लोकमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

caṃḍālaḥ śvapaco vā'pi tiryagyonigatastathā | tasmiṃstīrthe mṛtaḥ samyagācyutaṃ lokamāpnuyāt

Translation

Even a caṇḍāla, a śvapaca, or one born in an animal womb—if such a being dies rightly at that tīrtha—attains the world of Acyuta, the Imperishable Lord.

Word by Word

• caṃḍālaḥ: a caṇḍāla (outcaste)
• caṃḍālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śvapacaḥ: a dog-cooker (low caste)
• śvapacaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvapaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (even/also)

• tiryagyonigataḥ: one who has entered an animal womb/birth
• tiryagyonigataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tiryak + yoni + gata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘gata’; तत्पुरुषः (tiryagyoniṃ gataḥ = gone to an animal birth); विशेषणम् (caṃḍālaḥ/śvapacaḥ)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also/likewise)

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘तस्मिन्’ = in that

• tīrthe: at the tīrtha
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानाधिकरण

• mṛtaḥ: having died
• mṛtaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √mṛ (धातु) → mṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘dead’; कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (properly)

• acyutam: Acyuta (Viṣṇu)
• acyutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘अच्युत-लोकम्’ इत्यत्र विशेषण-रूपेण

• lokam: world, realm
• lokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गन्तव्य-कर्म

• āpnuyāt: would attain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘प्राप्नुयात्’

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sudarśana/Cakratīrtha (contextual)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the tīrtha bank, a humble outcaste and even animals are shown under the same divine light; Viṣṇu’s presence (Acyuta) is suggested as a compassionate refuge at the moment of death.

Characters & Entities

• Acyuta (Viṣṇu)
• Cakratīrtha (context)
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s grace transcends social or biological birth; sincere, proper end at the sacred place leads to the highest divine realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same sacred tīrtha in the Cakratīrtha/Sudarśana context of Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is detailed here; the emphasis is on the salvific power of dying ‘samyak’ (rightly, with proper spiritual orientation) at the tīrtha.