Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

ते यां गतिं गताः पार्थ न तां गच्छन्ति यज्विनः । पापानि यानि कानि स्युः कोटिजन्मार्जितान्यपि

Transliteration

te yāṃ gatiṃ gatāḥ pārtha na tāṃ gacchanti yajvinaḥ | pāpāni yāni kāni syuḥ koṭijanmārjitānyapi

Translation

Ô Pārtha, l’état atteint par ceux qui veillent lors de la Śivarātri n’est pas obtenu même par les sacrifiants des rites. Quels que soient les péchés—même amassés au cours de millions de naissances—

Word by Word

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• yām: which
• yām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; viśeṣaṇa of 'gatim'

• gatim: path/goal/state
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• gatāḥ: having gone/attained
• gatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + gata (कृदन्त)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past passive participle (क्त/ktá), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; used predicatively with 'te'

• pārtha: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-avyaya (निषेध-अव्यय)

• tām: that
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; refers to 'gatim'

• gacchanti: go/attain
• gacchanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

• yajvinaḥ: sacrificers/ritualists
• yajvinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• yāni: which
• yāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; viśeṣaṇa of 'pāpāni'

• kāni: any/whatever
• kāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; used in sense of 'any/whatever'

• syuḥ: might be/should be
• syuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (लिङ्/Optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

• koṭi-janma-arjitāni: accumulated over crores of births
• koṭi-janma-arjitāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + janma (प्रातिपदिक) + arjita (कृदन्त)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) sense 'of crores of births'; Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; viśeṣaṇa of 'pāpāni'

• api: even/also
• api: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya/Avadhāraṇa-avyaya (समुच्चय/अवधारण)

Speaker

Narrator addressing 'Pārtha' (epic-style vocative retained in the Purāṇic narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (as addressed in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at a riverside temple: devotees keep vigil with lamps, listening to dharma-kathā; a contrast is implied with distant grand yajña fires and gold-laden ritual paraphernalia.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• yajvin (sacrificer)
• pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-minded devotion and vigil on Śivarātri is exalted as a swift purifier, surpassing ordinary ritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the teaching is a general glorification of Śivarātri within the Revākhaṇḍa’s sacred frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The emphasis is on observing Śivarātri vigil; it is declared to yield an exceptional spiritual destination and sin-destruction.