Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

यावद्धि यान्ति लोकेषु महाभूतानि पञ्च च । तावत्ते दिवि मोदन्ते मद्दत्तपरिपालकाः

Transliteration

yāvaddhi yānti lokeṣu mahābhūtāni pañca ca | tāvatte divi modante maddattaparipālakāḥ

Translation

Tant que les cinq grands éléments se meuvent dans les mondes, aussi longtemps se réjouissent au ciel ceux qui gardent mon don.

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as / so long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध-परिमाण/कालवाचक; correl. particle) — indeclinable correlating with tāvat

• hi: indeed / for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• yānti: go
• yānti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• lokeṣu: in the worlds
• lokeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• mahābhūtāni: the great elements
• mahābhūtāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhūta (महान्/महत् + भूत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (महानि भूतानि)

• pañca: five
• pañca: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (mahābhūtāni इति विशेष्येण सह)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• tāvat: so long / that long
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative to yāvat)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• divi: in heaven
• divi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (दिव् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• modante: rejoice / delight
• modante: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mud (मुद् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• mad-datta-paripālakāḥ: protectors of what was given by me
• mad-datta-paripālakāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (अस्मद्) + datta (दा धातोः क्त) + paripālaka (pari+√pāl ण्वुल् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (मया दत्तस्य परिपालकाः)

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa (Hari/Janārdana) speaking (within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor’s grant is guarded by righteous stewards; above, celestial beings rejoice, indicating svarga-phala enduring as long as the elements persist.

Characters & Entities

• Five great elements (pañca-mahābhūta)
• Heaven (Divi)
• Protectors of the grant

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustaining dharma through protection of gifts yields long-lasting merit, measured in cosmic terms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā context continues, emphasizing enduring fruits tied to tīrtha-associated dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The dharmic duty of paripālana—maintaining and safeguarding a previously made donation.