Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

भुक्त्वा पुण्यफलं याति नरकं संशयः । अस्मिंश्च संशये प्रोक्तं मार्कंडेयेन श्रूयते

Transliteration

bhuktvā puṇyaphalaṃ yāti narakaṃ saṃśayaḥ | asmiṃśca saṃśaye proktaṃ mārkaṃḍeyena śrūyate

Translation

Setelah menikmati buah kebajikan (puṇya), ia pergi ke neraka—itulah keraguannya. Dan mengenai keraguan ini, ajaran yang diucapkan oleh Mārkaṇḍeya didengar sebagai pegangan yang sahih.

Word by Word

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + क्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया), 'having enjoyed'

• पुण्यफलम्: fruit of merit
• पुण्यफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यस्य फलम्)

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरकम्: to hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• संशये: in (the) doubt
• संशये: Adhikarana (Topic/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: (it is) declared/said
• प्रोक्तम्: Karta (Impersonal subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'said/declared (thing)'

• मार्कण्डेयेन: by Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयेन: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• श्रूयते: is heard/is recited
• श्रूयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Bāla (introducing Mārkaṇḍeya’s teaching/tradition)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A questioner raises a doubt before a venerable sage; behind them, a symbolic vision shows a soul ascending to a bright realm and then descending toward a dark pit as merit is exhausted.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic accounting is subtle: enjoyment of puṇya does not automatically cancel pāpa; the tradition addresses this sequencing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse points to Mārkaṇḍeya’s doctrinal explanation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a doctrinal discussion grounded in ṛṣi testimony.