Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गे तिष्ठति भूमिदः । आच्छेत्ता चानुमन्ता च तान्येव नरके वसेत्

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svarge tiṣṭhati bhūmidaḥ | ācchettā cānumantā ca tānyeva narake vaset

Translation

ഭൂമിദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ അറുപതിനായിരം വർഷം സ്വർഗത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്നു; എന്നാൽ ഭൂമി കവർന്നെടുക്കുന്നവനും അതിന് സമ്മതം നൽകുന്നവനും അതേ കാലം നരകത്തിൽ വസിക്കും।

Word by Word

• षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि: sixty thousand years
• षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यापूर्वक-समासः (षष्टि-वर्ष-सहस्राणि = sixty-thousand years)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तिष्ठति: stays/abides
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भूमिदः: the giver of land
• भूमिदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः दः = giver of land)

• आच्छेत्ता: the one who takes away (land)
• आच्छेत्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + छिद् (धातु)
• Form: कर्तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (तृच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (agent noun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अनुमन्ता: the approver/consenter
• अनुमन्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु + मन् (धातु)
• Form: कर्तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (तृच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (approver/consenter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तानि: those (years)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• एव: indeed/same
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वसेत्: would dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Purāṇic framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (addressed in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king offers a deeded plot to a sacred institution while Dharma stands as witness; in contrast, a confiscator drags boundary stones away as Yama’s messengers loom, visually balancing heaven and hell durations.

Characters & Entities

• Svarga (heaven)
• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Land-giving yields immense merit, while revoking or sanctioning revocation brings equally immense punishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Revākhaṇḍa’s sacred landscape, but this verse itself is a general dharma statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies the dharmic act of bhūmi-dāna (land donation) and forbids confiscation/approval of confiscation.