Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

येन यातास्तु पितरो येन याताः पितामहाः । तेन मार्गेण गंतव्यं न चोल्लंघ्या सतां गतिः

Transliteration

yena yātāstu pitaro yena yātāḥ pitāmahāḥ | tena mārgeṇa gaṃtavyaṃ na collaṃghyā satāṃ gatiḥ

Translation

જે માર્ગે પિતૃઓ અને પિતામહો ગયા, એ જ માર્ગે જવું જોઈએ; સજ્જનોની ગતિનું ઉલ્લંઘન ન કરવું.

Word by Word

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• याताः: gone
• याताः: Kriya (Participial predicate/कृदन्त-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• पितरः: the fathers/ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• याताः: gone
• याताः: Kriya (Participial predicate/कृदन्त-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• पितामहाः: grandfathers/forefathers
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• मार्गेण: by the path
• मार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• गन्तव्यम्: must be gone (one should go)
• गन्तव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्तव्य (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विध्यर्थ (obligation)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• उल्लङ्घ्या: to be transgressed (here: not to be)
• उल्लङ्घ्या: Vidhi (Prohibition/निषेध-विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्-लङ्घ् (धातु)
• Form: क्तव्य (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘not to be transgressed’ (गतिḥ इति स्त्रीलिङ्ग-शब्दस्य विशेषण)

• सताम्: of the good/virtuous
• सताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• गतिः: path/way/course
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā (didactic counsel; inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dānavendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic road with ancestral figures (pitaraḥ, pitāmahāḥ) walking in a luminous line; the listener stands at a fork, guided back to the well-trodden righteous path.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Sat (the righteous)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sadācāra—walking the time-tested path of the righteous and ancestors—is a safeguard of dharma and should not be violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific kṣetra is named in this verse; the stress is on dhārmic continuity and righteous conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it recommends adherence to the established dhārmic path followed by elders and ancestors.