Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

जन्मान्तरशतैस्तेषां ज्ञानिनां देवयाजिनाम् । देवत्रये भवेद्भक्तिः क्षयात्पापस्य कर्मणः

Transliteration

janmāntaraśataisteṣāṃ jñānināṃ devayājinām | devatraye bhavedbhaktiḥ kṣayātpāpasya karmaṇaḥ

Translation

Pour ces sages qui honorent les dieux, après des centaines de naissances naît la dévotion envers la triade des divinités, lorsque le karma fautif est épuisé.

Word by Word

• जन्मान्तरशतैः: by hundreds of other births
• जन्मान्तरशतैः: Kāla/Parimāṇa (Temporal measure/परिमाण-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janma-antara-śata (प्रातिपदिक: जन्म + अन्तर + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जन्मान्तराणां शतानि)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• ज्ञानिनाम्: of the knowers (wise)
• ज्ञानिनाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñānin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• देवयाजिनाम्: of the worshippers of the gods
• देवयाजिनाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-yājin (प्रातिपदिक: देव + याजिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (देवान् यजते इति)

• देवत्रये: in the triad of gods
• देवत्रये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-traya (प्रातिपदिक: देव + त्रय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः देवाः)

• भवेत्: may arise/become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• क्षयात्: from the destruction
• क्षयात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• पापस्य: of sin
• पापस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• कर्मणः: of action/deed
• कर्मणः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual attribution within the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like tableau: across many lifetimes, a seeker performs yajña and worship; as dark stains (pāpa) fade, a bright flame of devotion rises toward a triad of divine forms, with Śiva as the culminating refuge implied by the surrounding narrative.

Characters & Entities

• Devatraya (Triad of Deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion matures when karmic impurities are worn away; spiritual progress may unfold across many lifetimes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse supports the broader Purāṇic framework in which tīrtha and worship aid karma-kṣaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Deva-yajana (worship/sacrificial devotion to the gods) is referenced as a characteristic practice of the aspirants described.