Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 102

Devanagari script

क्षिप्यंतेब्धौ तथा स्थीनि तेषां स्यादक्षया गतिः । ते स्वर्गे सुचिरं कालं वसित्वात्र समागताः

Transliteration

kṣipyaṃtebdhau tathā sthīni teṣāṃ syādakṣayā gatiḥ | te svarge suciraṃ kālaṃ vasitvātra samāgatāḥ

Translation

Et lorsque leurs os sont jetés dans la mer, leur destinée devient impérissable. Après avoir demeuré très longtemps au ciel, ils reviennent et parviennent de nouveau à des états propices.

Word by Word

• kṣipyante: are thrown
• kṣipyante: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• abdhau: into the ocean
• abdhau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abdhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• asthīni: bones
• asthīni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• syāt: would be / may be
• syāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• akṣayā: imperishable
• akṣayā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘गति’ इति विशेषण

• gatiḥ: destination/attainment
• gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• suciram: for a very long
• suciram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sucira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘kālam’ इति विशेषण

• kālam: time
• kālam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; काल-परिमाणार्थे

• vasitvā: having dwelt
• vasitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vas (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• samāgatāḥ: have come / arrived
• samāgatāḥ: Kriyā (Resultant state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP used as finite in periphrastic sense); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विधेय

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Samudra (sea) connected to Barkareśa antyeṣṭi rites

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A funeral party at the seashore at dawn: a small urn of ashes and bones is offered to the waves; priests chant while the ocean glows; a subtle vision of the departed ascending to svarga is hinted in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Ocean (Abdhi)
• Heaven (Svarga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links respectful funerary rites with elevated posthumous destiny, emphasizing sanctified places and proper observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Barkareśa sacred region is implied as the cremation locus; the verse further connects its rite to oceanic asthi-visarjana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Asthi-visarjana: immersing the bones (asthi) into the ocean is praised as granting akṣayā gati (imperishable progress).