Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

अकामो वा सकामो वा मृतस्तत्र नरेश्वर । देवत्वं प्राप्नुयात्सोऽपि नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

akāmo vā sakāmo vā mṛtastatra nareśvara | devatvaṃ prāpnuyātso'pi nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

ឱ​ព្រះអម្ចាស់នៃមនុស្ស! មិនថាគ្មានក្តីប្រាថ្នា ឬពោរពេញដោយក្តីប្រាថ្នា—អ្នកណាម្នាក់ស្លាប់នៅទីនោះ ក៏ទទួលបានសភាពជាទេវតា; ក្នុងរឿងនេះមិនចាំបាច់ពិចារណាទៀតទេ។

Word by Word

• akāmaḥ: desireless
• akāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (न + कामः)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• sakāmaḥ: desirous
• sakāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स + कामः = कामयुक्तः)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• mṛtaḥ: dead
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; “dead”

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “there”)

• nara-īśvara: O lord of men (king)
• nara-īśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• devatvam: divinity, godhood
• devatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• prāpnuyāt: would attain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: “also/even”)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• kāryā: to be done/required
• kāryā: Karta (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• vicāraṇā: consideration, deliberation
• vicāraṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (specific sub-tīrtha not named in excerpt)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nareśvara / lord of men (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred riverbank tīrtha on the Revā: a serene ghat with śiva-liṅga shrine, pilgrims offering water and bilva; a departing soul rising as a radiant deva-form above the river, indicating assured devatva.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Devatva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of the place itself is portrayed as powerfully transformative, overriding distinctions of motive.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same revered Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha under discussion (linked with Daśāśvamedha) is praised for its death-transcending merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the salvific potency of the tīrtha, even at the time of death.