Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

उपवासी शुचिर्भूत्वा ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नुयात् । अस्माहकं समासाद्य यस्तु प्राणान् परित्यजेत्

Transliteration

upavāsī śucirbhūtvā brahmalokamavāpnuyāt | asmāhakaṃ samāsādya yastu prāṇān parityajet

Translation

断食して清浄となれば、梵天界に至り得る。また、この我らの聖地に到り、そこで命の息を捨てる者にも、最上の吉祥なる帰趣がある。

Word by Word

• upavāsī: a faster (one who observes fasting)
• upavāsī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upavāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपवासकर्ता

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Purva-kala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• brahma-lokam: Brahma-world
• brahma-lokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• avāpnuyāt: may attain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• asmāhakam: of us/our
• asmāhakam: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनस्य (Genitive plural) रूपम्; ‘अस्माकम्’ इत्यर्थे वैदिक/प्राकृत-प्राय रूपान्तरम्

• samāsādya: having approached/reached
• samāsādya: Purva-kala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√sad (सद् धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• prāṇān: life-breaths, life
• prāṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• parityajet: should abandon/give up
• parityajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tyaj (त्यज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Āvantya Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra/tīrtha (contextual; ‘asmakam’ indicates presiding sanctity)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A purified fasting pilgrim by the river, with a luminous path rising upward to Brahmaloka; in a parallel vignette, a devotee’s peaceful passing at the kṣetra, attended by subtle divine messengers, indicating ‘uttama gati’.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vow-observance (upavāsa) and purity at a tīrtha elevate the soul; sacred place and sacred discipline together shape destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A revered Revākhaṇḍa tīrtha referred to as “our (place)” by the presiding sanctity; it is praised as a place where even death becomes spiritually fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) and śauca (purification), performed in connection with the tīrtha.