Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यथाहं न तथा पुत्रः समर्थः सर्वकर्मसु । पुन्नामनरकाद्भद्रे जातमात्रेण सुन्दरि

Transliteration

yathāhaṃ na tathā putraḥ samarthaḥ sarvakarmasu | punnāmanarakādbhadre jātamātreṇa sundari

Translation

Tidak seperti diriku, seorang putra belum tentu cakap dalam segala kewajiban. Namun, wahai yang mulia dan jelita, hanya dengan kelahirannya ia membebaskan (ayah) dari neraka bernama Punnāma.

Word by Word

• yathā: as
• yathā: Modifier (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकार-अव्यय (comparative adverb)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Modifier (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• tathā: so, in that way
• tathā: Modifier (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (correlative adverb: ‘so/thus’)

• putraḥ: a son
• putraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• samarthaḥ: capable
• samarthaḥ: Adjective (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (पुत्र-विशेषण)

• sarva-karmasu: in all actions
• sarva-karmasu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• pun-nāma-narakāt: from the hell called ‘Pun’
• pun-nāma-narakāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pun (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: source)

• bhadre: O auspicious lady
• bhadre: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• jāta-mātreṇa: by mere birth (as soon as born)
• jāta-mātreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jan (धातु) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP: jāta), नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (here as indeclinable-like instrumental phrase), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; ‘जाता-मात्र’ = just-born; करण (instrumental: ‘by mere birth’)

• sundari: O beautiful one
• sundari: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Atri (deduced from immediate context; reply continues until explicit speaker change at 17)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) as pitṛ-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn turn in the dialogue: the speaker contrasts personal capability with the metaphysical function of a son rescuing from Punnāma-naraka; imagery can juxtapose domestic scene with a faint vision of a netherworld being lifted.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Punnāma-naraka
• Putra (son)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic pitr̥-dharma emphasizes that progeny, especially a son, is traditionally seen as a means of safeguarding ancestral welfare—even beyond death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is thematic (pitr̥-welfare) rather than directly naming a tīrtha; it appears within the Revā Khaṇḍa context connected with the sacred Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it states the doctrinal benefit attributed to the birth of a son.