Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

एवं कृते नरश्रेष्ठ न जन्तुर्नरकं व्रजेत् । अवश्यमेव मनुजैर्द्रष्टव्या नारकी स्थितिः

Transliteration

evaṃ kṛte naraśreṣṭha na janturnarakaṃ vrajet | avaśyameva manujairdraṣṭavyā nārakī sthitiḥ

Translation

Wahai insan terbaik, bila ini dilakukan menurut tata cara demikian, tiada makhluk pergi ke neraka. Namun keadaan neraka pasti ‘diperlihatkan’ kepada manusia fana—sebagai peringatan dan tuntunan dharma.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of manner)

• कृते: when done; upon being performed
• कृते: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past passive participle); सप्तमी एकवचनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (locative singular neuter) — ‘कृते (कर्मणि) = when (it is) done’

• नरश्रेष्ठ: O best of men
• नरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन एकवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्ग (vocative singular masculine); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• जन्तुः: a creature, being
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा एकवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्ग (nominative singular masculine)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया एकवचनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (accusative singular neuter)

• व्रजेत्: would go; should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम् (3rd person singular optative, parasmaipada)

• अवश्यम्: certainly, necessarily
• अवश्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अवश्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of certainty)

• एव: indeed, surely
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• मनुजैः: by men; by humans
• मनुजैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्ग (instrumental plural masculine)

• द्रष्टव्या: must be seen; is to be seen
• द्रष्टव्या: Kriyā (Predicative necessity/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रष्टव्य (दृश् धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory); प्रथमा एकवचनम्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (nominative singular feminine) — कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘to be seen’

• नारकी: hellish; of hell
• नारकी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा एकवचनम्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (nominative singular feminine) — विशेषणम्

• स्थितिः: state, condition
• स्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा एकवचनम्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (nominative singular feminine)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha in this passage)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: naraśreṣṭha / nṛpa (king) addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage instructs a king beside a sacred riverbank; in the background, a faint vision of naraka appears like a shadowy tableau—seen as warning—while the foreground shows orderly ritual implements and calm faces.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Correct observance at a sacred tīrtha protects from downfall, while contemplation of hell serves as ethical restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha framework of Adhyāya 159, where these observances are taught.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse refers back to the prescribed sequence of dāna, vigil, bathing, tarpaṇa, dīpa-dāna, and feeding brāhmaṇas.