Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

पतनं कुरुते यस्तु तस्मिंस्तीर्थे नराधिप । कन्यास्त्रीणि सहस्राणि पाताले भोगभागिनः

Transliteration

patanaṃ kurute yastu tasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa | kanyāstrīṇi sahasrāṇi pātāle bhogabhāginaḥ

Translation

Mais, ô seigneur des hommes, quiconque commet une chute morale en ce gué sacré—des milliers de jeunes vierges, dans le monde souterrain, deviennent compagnes de ses jouissances.

Word by Word

• पतनम्: fall, downfall
• पतनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म/भाववाचक-नाम

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

• कन्यास्त्रीणि: maidens and women
• कन्यास्त्रीणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• पाताले: in the netherworld
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• भोगभागिनः: partakers of pleasures
• भोगभागिनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोग + भागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भोगस्य भागिनः = भोग-भागी)

Speaker

Narrator addressing a King (Rājan/Narādhipa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred ford/lakeside tīrtha with a king addressed; the unseen netherworld (pātāla) opens as a symbolic backdrop where apsaras-like maidens are shown as destined attendants, indicating extraordinary phala.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha demands heightened ethical restraint; misconduct there is singled out as spiritually consequential (the text frames results in vivid otherworldly imagery).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā/Narmadā tīrtha referenced in Adhyāya 21 (exact ford name not specified in the snippet).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse functions as a moral caution regarding behavior at a sacred site.