Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन धर्मेण तपसि स्थिताः । दान्ताः स्वदारनिरता भूरिदाः परिपूजकाः

Transliteration

pūrvakarmavipākena dharmeṇa tapasi sthitāḥ | dāntāḥ svadāraniratā bhūridāḥ paripūjakāḥ

Translation

Mûris par le fruit de leurs actes passés, ils demeurent établis dans le dharma et l’ascèse : maîtres d’eux-mêmes, fidèles à leurs épouses, larges donateurs et adorateurs pleins de révérence.

Word by Word

• pūrvakarmavipākena: by the fruition of former karma
• pūrvakarmavipākena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक) + vipāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः: पूर्वकर्म (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + विपाक (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) → 'पूर्वकर्मविपाक' (instrumental singular)

• dharmeṇa: by righteousness/dharma
• dharmeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• tapasi: in austerity/penance
• tapasi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (locative singular)

• sthitāḥ: abiding/steadfast
• sthitāḥ: Kriya (Participial/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) → sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तरि: 'standing/abiding' (participial predicate)

• dāntāḥ: self-controlled
• dāntāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dam (धातु) → dānta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; 'दमित' (self-controlled)

• svadāraniratāḥ: devoted to their own wives
• svadāraniratāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + nirata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः: स्वदार (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'one's own wife') + निरत (क्त-प्रत्यय)

• bhūridāḥ: very generous
• bhūridāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūri (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु) → da (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; उपपद-समास: भूरि + द (दातृ-अर्थे) = 'much-giving'

• paripūjakāḥ: devout worshippers
• paripūjakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pari + pūj (धातु) → pūjaka (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कृदन्त (ण्वुल्/अक) कर्तरि: 'worshippers' with उपसर्ग pari

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely a Purāṇic narrator within Revākhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra context (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A virtuous group: a restrained ascetic and a devoted householder couple; the householder offers gifts to a needy pilgrim while another performs lamp-worship before a small shrine, all under the gaze of a teaching sage.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is shown through disciplined living, faithful household conduct, generosity, and worship—even as karma bears fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region), though this verse itself stresses conduct rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse highlights dāna (generosity) and pūjā (worship) as ongoing religious duties.