Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

धर्मे नष्टे मनुष्याणामधर्मोऽभिभवेत्पुनः । ततः स्वधर्मचलनान्नरके गमनं ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

dharme naṣṭe manuṣyāṇāmadharmo'bhibhavetpunaḥ | tataḥ svadharmacalanānnarake gamanaṃ dhruvam

Translation

മനുഷ്യരിൽ ധർമ്മം നശിച്ചാൽ അധർമ്മം വീണ്ടും മേലിടപെടും; പിന്നെ സ്വധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വഴുതുന്നതാൽ നരകഗമനം നിശ്ചയം।

Word by Word

• धर्मे: when dharma (is)
• धर्मे: Adhikarana (Condition-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• नष्टे: destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययकृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• मनुष्याणाम्: of humans
• मनुष्याणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• अधर्मः: unrighteousness, adharma
• अधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (negated)

• अभिभवेत्: would overpower, would prevail
• अभिभवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: अभि-

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• ततः: thereupon, then
• ततः: Sambandha (Consequence marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/अनन्तर्ये अव्यय (thereupon/from that)

• स्वधर्मचलनात्: from deviation from one’s own duty
• स्वधर्मचलनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source—ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + dharma + calana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य धर्मस्य चलनम्)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Destination/location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• गमनम्: going
• गमनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certain, inevitable
• ध्रुवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (गमनम्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral allegory: dharma personified weakening while adharma looms; a king is shown at a crossroads—one path of svadharma leading to light, the other to a dark naraka abyss.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• dharma
• adharma
• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Abandoning dharma leads to adharma’s dominance and brings inevitable painful karmic destinations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it emphasizes adherence to svadharma.