Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितं धर्मं त्यक्त्वा यथेच्छाचारसेविनः । अष्टाविंशतिर्वै कोट्यो नरकाणां युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

śrutismṛtyuditaṃ dharmaṃ tyaktvā yathecchācārasevinaḥ | aṣṭāviṃśatirvai koṭyo narakāṇāṃ yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, ceux qui abandonnent le dharma enseigné par la Śruti et la Smṛti et suivent une conduite fondée sur le seul bon plaisir tombent dans les vingt-huit crores d’enfers.

Word by Word

• श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितम्: declared in śruti and smṛti
• श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक) + उदित (कृदन्त, √उद्/√वद्?; here ‘said/declared’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; धर्मम् इति विशेषणम्; समासः—श्रुतिस्मृतिभ्याम् उदितम् (declared in śruti and smṛti)

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteous duty
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having abandoned’

• यथेच्छाचारसेविनः: those who follow conduct as they please
• यथेच्छाचारसेविनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक) + सेविन् (कृदन्त, √सेव्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—यथेच्छः आचारः यस्य/ये (at-will conduct) तस्य सेविनः (followers)

• अष्टाविंशतिः: twenty-eight
• अष्टाविंशतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाविंशति (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्या), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/खलु-अर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कोट्यः: crores (tens of millions)
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नरकाणाम्: of hells
• नरकाणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira within a Purāṇic discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene with Yudhiṣṭhira listening to a sage who gestures toward a vast, many-gated underworld labeled as numerous hell-realms; above, a luminous scroll of Śruti and Smṛti shines as the rightful path.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is grounded in Śruti and Smṛti; rejecting it for ‘do-as-you-like’ living leads to severe karmic suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as moral framing inside the Revā/Narmadā Māhātmya; the tirtha focus is the Revā region overall.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse prescribes adherence to śruti-smṛti dharma as the guiding rule.